Mardi Gras Red Beans and Rice Prudhomme

This is a more modern version of Chef Paul Prudhomme's Red Beans and Rice by using canned rather than dried beans - cooks up much faster. Prudhomme's K-Paul's is my favorite restaurant in New Orleans, followed by Emeril's Nola's, a close second. But there are many seconds, like Patout's, Mike Anderson's, and yes, OK, Brennans! With so much great cooking going on in Louisiana, you can imagine there are many, many variations of a classic dish like red beans and rice. So make it your own, but make sure you flavor those beans, baby!

I use a 1/2 cup ramekin dish to mold the rice with - it makes a great presentation. If you can't find Andouille sausage, use another good sausage you can find such as Linguica, Chorizo or a good Polish kielbasa.

1 onion, diced
1 green pepper diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp each black and white pepper
1/8 tsp red cayenne pepper
2-3 cups chicken broth
2 15-oz cans red beans, drained
1 large smoked ham hock
1 5-inch link Andouille sausage
1/4 lb ham, cubed
1 cup rice
Dash Tabasco

Sauté onion, pepper and celery in a bit of canola oil in a medium pot. Meanwhile, start cooking the roux which will thicken and flavor the dish: heat oil in a small saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook over medium heat, whisking fairly often, as roux browns and changes from a manila beige to a darker leather-brown. You will smell a wonderful nutty flavor evolving! Watch carefully so as you do not burn it.
Add the garlic, thyme, oregano and three powdered peppers to the veggies and cook another two minutes. Stir the roux into the veggies and turn heat up to medium-high. Add the broth and stir as sauce thickens. Add the beans and ham hock and bring just to a boil. If necessary, add a bit more broth to largely cover the ham hock. Stir and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Salt to taste. Cover and cook for about an hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes.

While the beans cook, sauté the sausage and ham in a skillet. Set rice cooking according to package directions. Remove ham hock from beans and cut meat from bone, if meaty. Add to the beans. Serve beans on a plate and top with a mound of rice. Scatter a portion of the sausage and ham about the beans. Season with a dash of Tabasco as desired.