Mom's Navy Bean Soup

 

• 1 pound of dried Great Northern beans
• 1 ham hock or 1 center slice ham, diced (save the little bone)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 c. carrots, diced
• 1 c. celery, diced, with leaves
• 1.5-2 quarts chicken broth OR
• 6-8 c. water (If you don't want to use chicken broth.)
• 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes (optional)
• 1 lb. sliced mushrooms (optional)
  
• 3 large cloves of garlic (optional)
• 1 tsp. cumin (optional)
  
• Salt, pepper to taste

Pour the dried beans out and inspect for debris for stones or bad beans. Rinse the beans and put in a large soup pot, covering with water. Bring to boil; turn off heat and let sit for 1 hour. (This is supposed to reduce the beans' flatulence ability.) Pour off the water and pour in the broth, if using, or the 6-8 c. water. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and ham hock or the little bone that comes with the center-cut slice of ham. Turn on heat to med.-high and bring to boil. Turn heat to med.-low and let simmer for 2 hours. Remove ham hock or the little bone. Dice ham hock meat. If using the center-cut slice of ham, saute the meat in a little fat. Set aside. Using an immersion blender or a potato masher, mash some of the beans to thicken the soup. Add the diced ham meat, carrots and tomatoes and simmer until carrots are tender.  Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4 - 5. Best way is to serve with cornbread.

Pressure cooker: Brown the meat beforehand, if desired. Cook beans in stock at 15 lbs. (high) for 35 minutes. Use quick release; add all other ingredients, and cook for an additional 25 minutes.

Note to myself for next time: Try this method of presoaking.

(Sorry, Ma, no cornbread tonight.)

Update 2017-10-22: At Helen's insistence, I cooked up a pound of mushrooms in a couple tablespoons of butter and added it to the mix before hitting it all in the pressure cooker. Noms!