15 Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (1 lb) bag regular 15 bean soup mix or (1 lb) bag cajun 15 bean soup mix
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15 -30 ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed
3 stalks celery leaves, included chopped
2 -3 ham hocks or 1 ham bone, with meat still on it
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (crush with fingertips before adding this releases the flavor)
1 teaspoon black pepper
salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 chicken bouillon cubes

Preparation

Wash the beans; put in large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil; stir and remove from heat. Cover and let sit 1 hour. After that hour, drain beans and set aside.
Add oil to pot. Saute your ham hocks, onion, and celery until tender.
Next add garlic and saute 2 minutes more.
Add your beans and cover with water (about 2 inches over top of beans).
Add tomatoes with the juice, parsley, rosemary, black pepper, bouillon cubes, and about 1 teaspoon of salt to start with.
Mix well. Bring to boil; stir, reduce heat cover and simmer for 2 to 21/2 hours or until all the sizes of the beans are tender.
Keep watching it and stirring it every once in a while. You may need to add more water; you want it to keep a consistency a little thicker than a soup.
Taste it after it cooks--you may need more salt or pepper.
During the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the flavor package that comes with the beans.
Serve by itself or over rice.