Nourishing soups make the cooler months of the year easier to deal with. This ham and bean soup is comforting and warm, and a slow cooker does most of the work for you.
Ingredients
For Beans
- 1 lb of navy beans, white, dried – soaked overnight
- Baking soda– a pinch
For Soup
- 2 ham hocks, smoked, meaty
- 8 cups of chicken stock
- 6 cubed celery ribs
- 6 round-cut carrots
- 1 chopped yellow onion
- 10 peeled, smashed garlic cloves
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 tsp of sea salt
How to Make It
- On the night before cooking, place beans in large sized bowl. Cover with filtered water. Add pinch of baking soda and stir. Allow to sit overnight.
- Next day, pour beans from bowl and drain and rinse them. Place in slow cooker. Add thyme, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, stock and ham hocks. Combine by stirring. Cover. Cook on low for six hours or so, till beans become tender.
- Remove ham hocks and thyme with tongs. Shred ham. Return meat to slow cooker. Season as desired. Serve hot.