United States Senate Bean Soup
United States Senate Bean Soup
(serves 8)
4 cups Navy beans (if you’re in America; here in the UK I used haricots, or flageolets would be fine)
1 ham hock with meat still clinging to it
4 medium (Idaho) potatoes
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 white onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
large handful parsley, chopped
Bring the ham hock and beans to a boil in a large stockpot covered with water (and the ham cooking liquid if you’re lucky). Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until soft, then drain and mash. Add to the ham liquid and mix thoroughly. Bring to the boil again, then add the chopped vegetables, including the parsley. Bring to the boil one more time, then simmer for at least an hour (but indefinitely will do). When nearly ready to serve, take the ham hock out and when cool enough to handle, take the usable meat from it and add in bite-sized pieces to the broth. Serve with crusty bread to soak up juices.
