Basic Ham and Bean Soup

By Nilson

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry Great Northern beans
• 8 cups of water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 ham hock
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 cup chopped onnion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups chopped ham
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Rinse the beans, sorting out any broken or discolored ones. In a large pot bring water to a boil. Add the salt and the beans and remove from heat. Let stand in hot water for at least 60 minutes. After 60 minutes of soaking, return the pot to high heat and place ham bone, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mustard and bay leaves in the pot. Stir well. Boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 60 more minutes.

Remove ham bone and discard. Stir in the chopped ham and simmer 30 minutes. Season with ground white pepper to taste.