Senate Navy Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb dried navy beans (about 2 1/3 cups)
water
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 smoked ham hock or 1 leftover ham bone
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

Wash beans, drain then soak in large pot.
For quick soak method combine beans & 6 cups water. Heat to boiling; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover, let stand 1 hour OR.
Soak beans overnight.
In large frypan melt butter, saute celery, onion and garlic until tender.
Drain beans, reserve liquid.
Into saucepan add beans, reserved liquid and enough water to make 10 cups, ham bone or hock, salt and pepper plus saute veggies from frypan.
Heat to boiling, reduce to low.
Cover and simmer 3 hours or until beans are tender and soup thickens.
Remove meat from bone and add to soup.
Remove a cup or two of beans, mash and return to make a thicker soup if desired.