Red Beans, Sausage & Ham Hock Stew

*Feel free to use any beans as substitute for Red Beans in this dish*

Beans are an amazing gift that keeps on giving night after night as they only get better each time you heat them up. They are also a perfect budget friendly pot for the family. Here we took a note from the south but the basics of this recipe will work for any type of bean and any cuisine. Use this as a guideline for any bean purpose - good soaked beans, homemade stock, an onion, and a delicious cured pork product, some herbs and maybe a pepper (fresh or dried) simmered for hours will always leave you humbled as to how good a simple bean can taste.

Note - DON’T EVER BOIL YOUR BEANS!!! Let them simmer for hours like they are on Love Island

• 1 pound red beans (Or any beans you may have on hand)

• Stock of your choice

• Salt

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, lard or tallow

• 1 pound smoked andouille sausage, cut into 1/2-inch disks

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

• 4 ribs celery, finely chopped

• 4 medium cloves garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 smoked ham hock (or any other smoked and cured pork product ie bacon)

• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

• 3 bay leaves

• Hot sauce, such as Crystal or Frank's, to taste

Place beans in a large bowl and cover with 6 cups (1.5L) cold water. Set aside at room temperature for 8 to 24 hours. Drain and rinse.

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil or lard over medium-high heat. Alternatively if you have a crock pot this is a great recipe to use it for. Add andouille and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Season with salt and cook, stirring, until vegetables have softened and are just starting to brown around the edges, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add cayenne pepper, and a generous 10 to 12 grinds of fresh black pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add beans, along with enough stock to cover by about 2 inches (roughly 6 to 8 cups), ham hock, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a slight boil and reduce to a bare simmer. Cover and cook until the beans are completely tender, 1 1/2 to 3 hours.

Remove lid and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has thickened and turned creamy, about 20 minutes. If the pot starts to look dry before the stew turns creamy, add a cup of water and continue simmering. Repeat as necessary until desired level of creaminess is achieved. Discard bay leaves and thyme stems. Season to taste with hot sauce, salt and pepper.