Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   1      pound         red beans
   1 1/2  pounds        smoked sausage -- sliced
     1/2  pound         smoked ham shanks
   1      large         onion chopped
   1                    green pepper -- seeded and chopped
   1                    celery stalk -- chopped
   1                    garlic clove -- finely chopped
   1      teaspoon      dried thyme -- crumbled
   1      teaspoon      ground pepper
     1/2  teaspoon      ground sage
   1                    bay leaf
   1      pinch         ground red pepper
                        salt
                        freshly cooked rice

Preparation:

Place beans in Dutch oven and cover generously with water. Let soak for 30 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients to beans except salt and rice. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until beans are tender, adding more water if necessary, about 2 1/2 hours. Add salt to taste. Remove ham bones. Remove about 3 Tablespoons of beans from mixture and mash to a paste. Return bean paste to mixture and stir. Simmer 15 more minutes and then serve hot over the rice.