Navy Bean Soup

Navy Bean Soup

Ingredients:
1 pound navy beans
2 1/2 quarts water
1/4 cup diced salt pork
3/4 cup carrots, diced
3/4 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup raw potato, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 small piece of bay leaf
2 whole cloves
salt and pepper
1 ham bone
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Soak dried navy beans (or other white beans if desired) in the 2 1/2 quarts of water overnight.

When ready to make the soup, fry salt pork in a stock pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and potato. Lightly sauté until soft but not brown. Add seasonings and ham bone.

Cover and bring to a boil slowly. Reduce heat once it boils and simmer gently for about 2 hours. Remove the ham bone and set aside. Press the vegetables through a sieve (or whiz them in a food processor) and add them back to the liquid. Remove any meat on the ham bone, dice and add to the soup. Add seasonings, simmer gently for a few minutes. Serve topped with chopped parsley.

Makes 6-8 servings.

• This recipe calls for a ham bone, but you can substitute 4 ounces of chopped ham. The ham bone gives this soup a wonderful flavor and is a great use for the leftover ham bone.

• Leave the ham out totally for a vegetarian bean soup recipe. It really is tastier with the ham though.