Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (16 oz.) pkg. dry Northern beans
4 to 6 c. water (for soaking beans)
1 ham bone
1 c. smoked sausage, cut up
1 diced onion
1/2 c. celery, diced
1 large potato, diced
1 c. carrots
black pepper
3 to 4 c. water
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

Preparation

Rinse and soak beans overnight in 4 to 6 cups water, changing water once or twice. In a large pot or Dutch oven, place ham bone, sausage, onion, celery and 3 or 4 cups water. Simmer for a couple of hours. Remove from stove. Refrigerate overnight. Next day, return soup to stove after removing most of fat which rises to top. Heat on medium-low and remove ham bone, leaving as much ham in the pot as desired. Add tomatoes, carrots, additional water if needed and potatoes. Increase heat to medium and cook for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans and add to soup, simmering for 2 hours. Season with black pepper or a dash of hot sauce, if desired. Preparation time: 30 minutes. Cooking time: 4 to 5 hours.