Red beans, ham and rice stoup

Tamara West

This is a Creole-inspired soupy stew that I call a stoup. It's a meal in a bowl.

Ingredients

2 large	Onions, finely chopped
3	Red capsicums, finely chopped
2	Celery stalks, finely chopped
1 bunch	Fresh parsley, stalks chopped for soup, leaves chopped for serving
5 rashers	Bacon, chopped
5	Garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp	Cayenne pepper
1 tsp	Smoked paprika
1 large	Ham hock (Main)
300 ml	Lager
2 cups	Chicken stock
2 Tbsp	Dry mixed herbs, or a fresh bouquet garni
2	Bay leaves
1	Lemon, zest and juice
2 cans	Red kidney beans, drained (Main)
6	Pepperoni sausage, or smoked sausages, thinly sliced (Main)
6	Pork sausages, or more, meat squeezed from casings (Main)
3	Tomatoes, chopped
6 servings	Cooked rice

Directions

1. Gently fry onion, capsicum and celery and parsley stalks with bacon, garlic, cayenne, smoked paprika and freshly ground black pepper until soft.
2. Add ham hock, lager, chicken stock, dried mixed herbs (or a fresh bouquet garni), bay leaves, the lemon zest and juice and drained red kidney beans. Cover and bring to the boil.
3. Simmer, stirring often, for 1½ hours, pulling the meat from the bone as you go. Add thinly sliced pepperoni (or smoked sausages), the meat squeezed from the pork sausages and chopped tomatoes. Simmer, check seasoning, then rest.
4. Reheat and serve with cooked rice and and lots of chopped parsley.

More of Warren's stoup recipes

• Mulligatawny stoup
• Chicken and mushroom stoup
• Eggplant, okra and tomato stoup