Here's my favorite bean soup recipe... it's very tasty.
GRANDPA RON'S HEARTY BEAN SOUP(Makes about 2� quarts-5 generous servings)
1 lb. Great Northern Beans, rinsed well and debris picked out-do
not soak overnight
1 lb. Smoked ham hock wrapped thoroughly in cheese cloth
1 lb. Smoked ham steak, cubed �-inch
8 Large cloves of garlic, minced fine
1 Medium+ (large softball size) onion, chopped medium fine
1 Large rib of celery, chopped medium fine (no leaves)
1 Large carrot, washed thoroughly (but not peeled), small cubed (� to � inch)
1 Tablespoon of Frank's Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce (no substitutes)
1 Tablespoon of butter to saut� the onions & garlic-don't allow butter to "brown"
� teaspoon Lowry's Season Salt (taste soup after cooking, you might like more)
1 8 ounce can of Hunt's Tomato Sauce (for color), rinse can with water & add to pot
Water as needed
PREPARATION:
1) In a 4 quart pot, add the ham hock & enough water to completely cover. Cover pot & simmer over low heat for 3-4 hours, add more water (as needed) to keep hocks covered.
2) Pour smoky-flavored ham hock cooking liquid from pot through a fine strainer into a different bowl, save it all for later use.
3) Meanwhile, thoroughly wash the carrot & celery (don't peel the carrot) & chop up all the vegetables. Add the onion, garlic & butter to a 4 quart pot & saut� over medium heat, stirring often, until softened. Garlic becomes bitter if browned so don't over-cook.
4) Remove all fat from the ham steak, cut into �-inch cubes & add to the pot.
5) Add the smoky ham hock liquid, all the veggies, the beans to the pot. Add enough additional cool water (or chicken or beef stock for a "different" flavor) to the ingredients to cover 2 inches above the beans, meat & veggies. Increase heat, bring mixture to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover & simmer over low heat for 2� hours, stirring every 20 minutes, then begin checking the beans for doneness every 10 minutes or so. The beans should be done in 2� to 3 hours or so depending on the raw bean's moisture content.
6) When the beans are very slightly under-cooked in their middle & cooked, but still firm on the outside, remove the pot from the stove, uncover & sit it aside to cool, adding enough cool hock liquid (or water or stock) to make the soup the consistency you prefer. If the beans are still slightly "hard" on the outside, simmer the soup slightly longer & re-check the beans. Put the soup into containers & refrigerate or freeze. Reheating the soup later (to eat it) on the stove will complete the bean's cooking process.
NOTE: This recipe can easily be doubled for convenience yielding about 5 quarts. Most soups and Chili tend to become more flavorful if refrigerated over-night or frozen & reheated for later consumption. Doing so allows the flavors to "marry" adding a greater depth of flavor. Often the difference in flavor is surprising. So plan to eat your bean soup for the first time the day after it is made & refrigerated. Freeze the rest for later consumption.
