Red Beans and Rice

This recipe comes from a lady in my church who is, in my opinion, chef extraordinaire!  I'm posting the recipe as she makes it, but I have to admit that I omitted the celery and bell pepper - as well as the white pepper.  But, it's only because I didn't have those ingredients on hand when I spontaneously decided to make it :-)  It's really easy to make, but it does take some time to cook.  So, it fits the bill for a weekend meal at our house.

1 lb. dried red beans, or dried kidney beans
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp salt, to taste
3 cloves minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp each: red, white, and black pepper
1 lb. smoked sausage
1 ham bone  (I ended up using a "seasoning ham bone" I had stored in the freezer for cooking with collards)


In a large pot (I used my Dutch oven) bring the dried beans to a boil in 12 cups of water and boil for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover and soak in the water for 1 hour.  Drain off the water.  Put all ingredients - with the exception of the sausage - into the pot of beans and add enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil.  Then, turn the heat down, cover, and let simmer for 4 hours or until the gravy is thickened.  Just before the beans are ready to serve, slice the sausage into 1/2-inch pieces and brown in a frying pan.  Then, place the sausage into the pot of beans and let simmer for another hour.  Serve over rice.

Cornbread also makes a good side with this meal :-)