Cajun Red Beans & Rice with Smoked Ham Hock

Down home delicious!
  
     Every different kind of bean has a slightly different flavor.  Some particular beans are cooked or seasoned in a traditional manner.  Red beans are very popular in the American south and in Louisiana.  Cajun red beans n rice are a main staple in Louisiana.  Cajun style red beans are mildly spicy and full of rich flavor.  Cajun red beans are usually cooked very soft and the melted beans in the pot form a thin gravy.
     A Cajun style fast food chain has red beans and rice on the menu.  The fast food red beans taste great, but there is an excess amount of the bean gravy.  There should be at least 50% whole beans visible in the mash red bean gravy.  For this recipe, a minimum of stirring is necessary, so there will be a higher proportion of beans in the bean gravy.
  
     Cajun Red Beans & Rice:
     This recipe makes 2 medium serving or 1 large serving!
     Soak 2 cups of dried red beans in water overnight in a refrigerator.
     Drain the soaking water off of the beans.
     Rinse the beans with cold running water a few times.
     Place the beans in a sauce pot.
     Add 1 smoked ham hock.
     Add 1 cup of chopped onion.
     Add enough water to cover the ingredients in the pot with 2" of extra water.
     Place the sauce pot over high heat.
     Bring the liquid to a boil.
     Reduce the temperature to low heat.
     Cover the pot with a lid.
     Simmer the beans, till the beans become tender.  Add water if the liquid drops below the top of the beans.
     Add 1 bay leaf.
     Add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
     Add 2 pinches of paprika.
     Add 2 pinches of thyme.
     Add 2 pinches of marjoram.
     Add 1 pinch of oregano.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.
     Add 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder.
     Mash about 1/3 of the beans in the pot.
     Continue simmering the beans over low heat and leave the pot uncovered.
     Simmer the beans, till the broth turns into a rich red bean gravy.
  
     Presentation:
     Cook 1 portion of plain white long grain rice.
     Place a portion of the cooked rice on one side of a large stew bowl.
     Remove the bay leaf from the beans.
     Set the smoked ham hock
     Ladle the beans into the bowl around the rice.
     Place the smoked ham hock on the beans.  (Serving the smoked ham hock with the beans is optional.  Some people like to nibble on the ham hock meat.)
     Garnish with a curly parsley sprig.
  
     This is a standard southern comfort food recipe.  Red beans n rice are a great source of protein and energy.  The smoked ham hock is the key flavor of this bean recipe.
      Red beans n rice are usually served with hot sauce on the side.  There are so many different flavors of hot sauce on the market these days.  A Korean or Thai hot sauce would not taste very good with a bowl of Cajun red beans n rice.  For Louisiana cooking, choose a Louisiana style hot sauce!  Most Louisiana hot sauces are made with cayenne or tabasconelle peppers.  Those hot sauces are the best choice for red beans n rice.  Habanero pepper hot sauce is my kind of Louisiana flavor!  As long as the label of the bottle of hot sauce has the word "Louisiana" on it, then the flavor will be correct for serving with Cajun or Louisiana food.  Yummy!  ...  Shawna