Senate Bean Soup

Bev made this soup a while back and it reminded me of how much I love it and how I hadn't made it in a long time. I had a ham bone left from my ham so I made some. You can check out this recipe and lots of other wonderful ones at Bev's: http://beverlysbackporch.blogspot.com/2011/10/us-senate-bean-soup.html

All of her recipes are excellent!


Making the ham stock.


This will make your house smell very good.


I used rosemary, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme.


Soak a couple cups of white beans overnight. Drain them when you are ready to make the soup.


Strain the stock and add the beans to it.


Add a couple cups of diced onion.



Add the carrots.


Add celery.


Bring the pot to a boil then simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until the beans soften. Mash about a third of the beans to thicken the soup. Add some chopped parsley. Dice some leftover ham into small cubes and add to the soup.


I like to add a teaspoon of cider vinegar to the bowl just before eating. This soup is great served with Captain's Crackers.