Hearty Navy Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb. dried navy beans (2 c.)
8 c. water
1 c. chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 smoked ham hocks
2 bay leaves
2 c. thinly sliced carrots
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Preparation

Sort and wash beans; place in large Dutch oven. Cover with water 2-inches above beans. Cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain. Combine beans, water, onion, garlic, ham and bay leaf in pan. Bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer 2 hours. Stir in carrots, salt and pepper. Simmer 40 minutes or until beans are tender. Remove bay leaf and discard. Remove ham hocks and shred meat, discarding fat and gristle. Return meat to pan. Serves 8.