Bill Knapp'S Michigan Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups dried navy beans
2 quarts cold water
1/2 lb lean ham, diced
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, shredded
salt and pepper

Preparation

Wash and sort the beans and soak overnight in cold water to cover.
Next morning drain beans.
Put beans, ham and garlic in stockpot, add 2 to 3 quarts water.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 3 hours or until beans are tender.
While the beans are cooking, in a separate pan boil the onion, celery and carrots in enough water to cover for 30 minutes.
Drain and add to the beans and ham and continue cooking for 45 minutes more.
Put soup contents in blender or food processor to slightly puree the soup(You will need to do this in batches).
Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Note: To use canned beans, allow 3 (15-ounce) cans undrained Northern beans and omit 1 quart water. Continue recipe as directed.