Recipe: Navy Bean Soup

Here are two simple recipes. Personally I would recommend the second recipe. And, the mashed potatos will give you the creamyness you said you like. Have fun.

NAVY BEAN SOUP

1 lb Navy Beans
l large onion
2 small jalapeno peppers (if you're brave, otherwise omit)
1 large ham bone

Simmer in about 3 quarts of water all day in crockpot on high. (3 - 4 hours on top of stove). SENATE BEAN SOUP
Bean soup as served in the U.S. Senate dining room

Serves 6

500 g dried Navy beans
1 ham bone (get one with plenty of meat on it)
3 l water
3 medium onions, chopped fine.
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced.
3 celery stalks, chopped fine.
10 g fresh parsley, (chopped fine)
250 ml mashed potatoes
5 ml salt (or less to taste)
1 ml pepper
20 g chopped fresh chives

1.Wash the beans and remove those that float in the wash water. Soak beans overnight in enough water to cover them by several inches. Drain.

2.In a large kettle, place 3 liters of cold water. Add the drained beans and the ham bone, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 2 hours. If scum forms on the surface, skim it off.

3.Chop the onions, garlic, celery, and parsley. Add to the pot. Add the mashed potato to the pot. Simmer 1 more hour. Check the beans. If they are not yet tender, then simmer some more.

4.Add salt and pepper. Remove the ham bone and pull the meat from it. Cut the meat into small chunks, and toss them back into the soup.

5.Serve piping hot into preheated bowls, and sprinkle chopped fresh chives atop each.

Notes
Great Northern beans are an adequate substitute for Navy beans. If you forgot to soak them overnight and still want to make the soup, you can simmer them for an hour and then discard that water. The beans end up with slightly more flavor if you cold-soak them.

You can almost certainly get away with using instant mashed potato flakes to acquire the 250 ml of mashed potatoes that this recipe calls for.