Probably, my favorite kind of soup!
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound ham steak, patted dry and diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped medium
2 celery ribs, chopped medium
1 medium onion, chopped medium
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
6 cups water
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 smoked ham hocks
1 pound dried navy beans, soaked overnight and drained (see note)
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Directions:
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add diced ham and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water, broth, hocks, and beans. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans are completely tender and soup is slightly thickened, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.
2. Remove hocks from pot. (If desired, let hocks cool 5 to 10 minutes, then, using fingers, shred meat and add to soup.) Stir in thyme, pepper, and vinegar.
Tips:
To speed up their cooking time, soak the beans in cold water for at least 8 hours (or up to 24 hours) before cooking. If you need to soften the beans in a hurry (or forget to start soaking them the night before), use this shortcut method: Cover the beans with 3 inches of cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove the pot from the heat. Let the beans stand for an hour, then drain them and cook as directed.
This soup can be refrigerated for several days, but the beans will continue to soak up liquid. If the soup becomes too thick, stir in 1/4 cup water at a time until the consistency is to your liking.
