Meg O'Malley'S Irish Parliament Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs navy beans (dried)
1 ham bone
1 gallon water
1 medium onion, diced small
4 stalks celery, diced small
2 carrots, diced small
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf

Preparation

Rinse beans in cool water and soak overnight. In a 6-quart stock pot, add drained beans, ham bone, water, and seasonings and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are soft (about 1 1/2 hours). Add vegetables and cook until tender and soup has thickened. Remove ham bone, adjust seasonings and enjoy with Irish Brown Bread or you favorite crackers.
Chef Matt: Meg O'Malley's.
Notes: I first cooked a bone-in ham by rubbing the surface with ground ginger and cloves; put in a \"brown-n-bag\" and pour in a small bottle of ginger ale. Seal and place in a 325* oven for 3 hours. To the soup, I add an extra carrot, more salt and pepper, an extra teaspoon of thyme and some of the ham that I have diced. YUM ! ! !