I cooked the ham hock the night before in some salted water for about 2-3 hours in high/medium heat. I allowed it to completely cool before transferring to the fridge for storage until needed.

Next I removed the skin and threw it away and then cut the meat into bitesize chunks, I removed all the meat from the bone and set it all aside including bones. I also reserved the water I it cooked in and brought it to boiling point so I can add some of the hot liquid to the rice at a later stage.

Heat the olive oil and add the onion. Fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked Ham hock and bones. Fry for a further 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. Add a small ladle of the reserved water if it starts to stick to the bottom.

Next add the beans, sugar and pepper and stir well.

Add the rice, parsley and 3-4 ladles of the reserved water and another 2-3 ladles of normal water.