Navy Bean Soup
1 pound navy beans
1 meaty ham bone, or you could use a smoked pork shank or hock
1/2 pound diced ham from the deli or your ham bone
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 medium carrots, diced
2-3 stalks of celery, diced
1 large clove minced garlic
2-3 sprigs of thyme
Approximately 3 quarts Water, Chicken or Vegetable Stock
Salt and Pepper
Optional: Fresh kale, washed and thick veins removed. Cut into strips and then slice thinly. The heat of the soup will soften the kale or mix it into the soup a minute or two before serving.
If you are a well-planned soup maker, you can soak the beans overnight. If you’re like me, at least get started in the morning! Pick out any unsavory-looking beans and rinse in a colander. Place the beans into a soup pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, remove from heat and let them rest for 30 minutes. Pour beans back into the colander and rinse again.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Put the beans back into the soup pot along with the ham bone and cover with water or, as I do, add chicken or vegetable stock to cover the beans by at least 2 inches. Add the sautéed vegetables and thyme sprigs and simmer the soup on low heat for 4-5 hours until the beans are tender.
Remove ham bone, and thyme sprigs. Dice the ham.
Update: Before returning the diced ham to the soup, I now like to use an immersion blender and partially puree the beans to give the soup a more creamy texture. Just a few pulses is all.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with freshly ground pepper, parsley or freshly chopped kale. Cheddar bread sticks are a perfect compliment.