Navy Bean Soup

I made navy bean soup last night for dinner and I kind of want it for breakfast. It was the perfect meal on a cold day.

Here’s the recipe:
1 bag of white beans. I used Goya great northern.
1 ham hock
1/4 cup ham, diced to small pieces
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes with their liquid
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 carrot, thinly chopped
1 celery stalk, thinly chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
some fresh parsley
some leftover white wine
chicken broth
water

I soaked the beans for about 8 hours and then dumped them and their liquid in a big pot. I added the vegetables and then put the hock in the center of the pot. The spices went in and I poured in chicken broth and water until everything was covered. Then I turned on the heat and let it come to and stay at a boil for about 20 minutes. Then I added more liquid (the wine, the broth, some water).

I set the timer for 30 minutes and let it keep boiling. I checked the liquid level again and made any adjustments. After about an hour, I turned the pot to simmer, still checking every 30 minutes for another hour.

At the two hour mark, I removed some of the soup to a bowl and with the immersion blender, blended until I had a thick mix. I poured the thick mix back in and then removed the hock and the two bay leaves. I added in the diced ham, stirred and then made a simple salad. The better-half warmed some rye bread and when the salad was made and the bread warm, we feasted on wonderful soup.

After dinner, the better-half built one of these: