Cookin' with Jack No. 2 - U.S. Senate Bean Soup

By Jack Brummet, Cooking Editor

• 2 cups dried navy beans
• two quarts water (or chicken or ham stock)
• 1+ pound smoked ham hocks or shanks
• 1 TBS Olive Oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 or 2 bay leaves
• [optional: a touch of cayenne, a couple cashes of Tabasco or habanero sauce]
• 1 medium potato peeled and quartered
• 3 stalks chopped celery
• 2 carrots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Bay leaf
• some form of heat: not much: cayenne, tabasco, habanero in the sauce for a while
• fresh ground pepper/salt
• handful chopped Italian parsley  

Chop the onions, garlic, celery, carrots and sweat them for a couple of minutes in olive oil in a soup pot.   Wash the navy beans and add to the vegetables with the pot with the water. Add the bay leaf and ham hocks and simmer 2- 21/2 hours in a covered pot, stirring occasionally.  Add the peeled, quartered potato for the last half hour.

Remove ham hocks and set aside to cool. Dice meat and return to soup. Add the optional chili or hot sauce.  Before serving, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Add parsley.  You can serve it as is, or blend the soup to a creamy consistency.

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