Recipe - Stewed Red Beans

1 pound Dried red kidney beans
3 Smoked pork or ham hocks
1 pound Kielbasa, or smoked pork sau
4 Celery stalks, chopped
2 Large onions, peeled and cho
1 Large green bell pepper
2 teaspoon Minced garlic
3 Bay leaves
Salt
1 teaspoon White pepper
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon Oregano
2 teaspoon Tabasco, depending on taste

RINSE THE BEANS IN A COLANDER under cold running water, discarding any
pebbles or broken beans. Either soak in cold water to cover overnight, or
bring to a boil and allow to sit, covered, for 1 hour. Drain. Bring the
beans and ham hocks to a boil with 2 quarts of water. Simmer covered for
one hour, then remove the ham hocks, and drain the beans. When the ham
hocks are cool enough to handle, remove the meat and discard the skin and
bones. While the beans are simmering, brown the sausage in a skillet over
medium heat. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon, and add the celery,
onion, green pepper and garlic to the pan. Saute until the onion is
translucent, about 5 minutes. Place the beans, sausage, vegetables, ham
meat, bay leaves, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano and Tabasco in a saucepan
with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring
occasionally, and cook for 45 to 60 minutes over low heat, stirring
frequently. Stir frequently, especially towards the end of the cooking
time. The mixture should be thick and the beans should have started to
break up. Discard the bay leaves. Serve while hot. Serves 8. NOTE: The
beans can be prepared up to three days in advance and refrigerated, tightly
covered with plastic wrap. Reheat in a microwave oven or in a 300F oven for
25 minutes.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini