White Bean and Ham Soup

By [e-mail]

Ingredients

• Ingredients:
• 1 pound dry great Northern beans
• 8 cups water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 meaty ham hock or 2 to 3 pounds of ham shanks
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. mustard powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups chopped ham
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley

Preparation

Step 1

Rinse the beans, sorting out any broken or discolored ones. In a large pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and the beans, then remove from heat. Let beans sit in the hot water for at least 60 minutes. After the 60 minutes of soaking, return the pot to high heat and place the ham bone, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mustard, and bay leaves in the pot. Stir well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 60 more minutes.

Remove ham bone and discard. Stir in the chopped ham and simmer for 30 more minutes. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley.