#904: Neighborhood Bean Soup

After our Easter dinner my mom made me keep my ham bone.  She told me to make pea soup, but I'm not a big fan of it.  Then I remembered that I've been looking at this recipe for a long time now but never had a ham to put into it.  So I made a big crockpot full of this 15 bean soup and took it for lunch to share with my co-workers.  I'm pretty sure no one enjoyed this as much as I did.  Unfortunately I didn't have several of the spices so I just use a little dried thyme, sage and 2 bay leaves.

I also made this in my crockpot.  I soaked the beans in water overnight.  And I didn't pre-sautee the veggies, I just threw it all into my crockpot (including a frozen hambone) and let it cook on low for about 10 hours.  When I got home I shredded the meat and threw it back into the pot.  Done!  I would definitely make this again. 

2 cups dried great northern beans

5 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks
2 to 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules (I omitted)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram (I omitted)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon dried savory (I omitted)
2 medium onions, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil (I omitted)

Sort beans and rinse with cold water. Place beans in a Dutch oven; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let soak for 1-4 hours or until beans are softened.

Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. Return beans to pan; add broth, 3 cups water, ham bone, bouillon and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the onions, carrots and celery in oil until tender; add to soup. Cover and simmer 45-60 minutes longer or until beans are tender.

Remove ham bone; cool slightly. Remove meat from bone and cut into chunks; return to soup. Discard bone. Skim fat from soup. Yield: 10 servings (2-3/4 quarts).