Remove the shrimp and pour the liquid into the ham hock stock. I n a large saute pan, heat the oil and fry the onion, garlic and celery. After 2 minutes, add the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Heat caramelizes the tomato paste into a deep brown color. C ut the ham steak into bite sized cubes and add to vegetables with the shredded ham hock meat.
P lace the thyme, cloves and cayenne pepper into a coffee bean grinder or a small food mill.
Grind the spices to create a wonderfully fragrant powder. Put half the mixture in the ham hock stock and half in the vegetables. R emove the shrimp shells from the stock. Never stir the rice while cooking - it can break its texture into a mush. C ombine the cooked rice with the vegetables and ham.