Campbell'S Bean And Bacon Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups navy beans
water
6 slices uncooked bacon, diced
3 small carrots, minced
3 stalks celery, minced
1 onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 -4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (4 ounce) can tomato paste
1 dash dried red pepper flakes
6 -8 cups water (substituting 1 or 2 cups of ham stock for equal amount of water gives this soup extra depth)
1 teaspoon wine vinegar
3 drops liquid smoke
salt and pepper

Preparation

Soak beans overnight and discard water.
Place all ingredients EXCEPT wine vinegar, liquid smoke, salt and pepper in a large kettle.
Simmer until beans are tender, around 3 hours.
Puree 2 cups of soup and return to pot.
Add wine vinegar and liquid smoke.
Mix well.
Taste; add salt and pepper to taste.