Ham & Bean Soup

We've had yet another "snowstorm" today.  Unless the main storm hasn't hit, we've only received an inch of snow so far.  But even without more snow, it's still cold.  So I was thinking that there is nothing better than a big bowl of soup on a cold day.  

Since I recently made a ham roast, I decided to make one of my favorite soups, Ham and Bean soup.

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Ham & Bean Soup

2 cups Small White Beans, like Cannellini Beans or Navy Beans

10 cups of Water

1 Ham Bone

1/2 tsp Dried Thyme

1 Bay Leaf

1 Onion, chopped

4 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 Carrots, sliced

2 Stalks of Celery, sliced

1 tbsp Hot Sauce

Pink Salt & Black Pepper, ground To Taste

Cover beans with cold water, at least 3 inches over beans, and soak for 8 hours or overnight at room temperature.  Drain in Colander.

Add beans, ham bone, and 10 cups of water to the pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.

Skim the surface with a spoon to remove any scum.  Add thyme and bay leaf, and bring back to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for another hour.  Add onions and garlic, bring back to a simmer, cover, and cook for another 40 minutes.

Remove the ham bone.  Add celery and carrots and bring back to a simmer.  Cover and cook for another 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the meat from the ham bone, dice it up, and set it aside.

Remove bay leaf.  If you want a thicker soup, use a potato masher to mash up half of the beans in the soup.  Add the diced ham, hot sauce, salt, and pepper, and stir.

Cornbread

Some people like snow.  I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.

-- Carl Reiner