John's Creole Red Beans

Ingredients

• 1 (16-ounce) package dried red kidney beans
• 1 pound spicy smoked sausage
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Hot cooked rice
• Garnish: chopped green onions

Preparation

1. Rinse and sort beans according to package directions. Place beans in a Dutch oven; cover with water 2 inches above beans, and let soak 8 hours. Drain beans, and rinse thoroughly; drain and set aside.
2. Cut smoked sausage into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
3. Sauté sausage in hot oil in Dutch oven over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes or until sausage is golden brown. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in Dutch oven. (Store sausage in refrigerator until you're ready to stir into bean mixture.) Add celery and next 3 ingredients to hot drippings, and sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 7 minutes.
4. Stir in beans, broth, and next 5 ingredients; increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are tender. Stir in sausage, and simmer 30 more minutes. Serve over hot cooked rice. Garnish, if desired.
5. Note: For quick soaking, place kidney beans in a Dutch oven; cover with water 2 inches above beans, and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute; cover, remove from heat, and let stand 1 hour. Drain as directed, and proceed with recipe. For testing purposes only, we used Conecuh Original Smoked Sausage, which is spicy.