Sauerkraut & Lima Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 lbs cured bone-in ham (large piece)
2 lbs dried lima beans
water
6 potatoes
2 (27 ounce) cans sauerkraut, drained

Preparation

Put ham and lima beans in large pot and fill with water.
Cook 2 to 2 1/2 hours. (Or use crockpot and adjust times accordingly).
Meanwhile, peel 6 potatoes and cut into medium pieces.
Remove ham, let cool a little and shred the ham.
Place ham back into the pot.
Add potatoes to soup.
Cook approximately 20 minutes, depends on size of potato pieces.
When potatoes are done, use masher or hand held mixer to mash the ingredients in the soup for a few minutes.
Add sauerkraut and cook 15 minutes more.
Can be served with sour cream topping or other garnishes, as desired.
SUGGESTED TOPPINGS:
carraway seed; sherry; creme fraiche; chopped cilantro; etc.