Spicy Ham And Bean Soup

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 3 cups beans (great northern, pinto, black, navy, lentils - any or all)
• 3 ham hocks
• 8 ounces chopped kielbasa (, or other sausage, if you love meat)
• 10 cups water (vegetable, chicken, or beef) or 10 cups stock (vegetable, chicken, or beef)
• 2 medium chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 (28 ounce) can italian tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 -2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons sage or 2 tablespoons basil or 2 tablespoons parsley or 2 tablespoons oregano (or any combination of those herbs)
• freshly squeezed, lemon, juice of
• salt

Recipe

• 1 if you've got time, cover beans with water and soak, covered, overnight.
• 2 otherwise, cover beans with water and bring to a boil for a few minutes, then bring the heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes or so.
• 3 drain (this helps cut down on any, uh, gas issues).
• 4 cover again with water, stock, or a combination.
• 5 add ham hocks and bring heat back to medium.
• 6 simmer for an hour or until beans are softened and meat is coming off the bones.
• 7 add water or stock as needed throughout cooking process.
• 8 remove ham hocks and set aside to cool.
• 9 add onions, tomatoes (with juice), garlic, spice, salt and sausage (if desired).
• 10 remove meat from ham hocks, shred into small pieces, and add to soup.
• 11 continue to simmer until beans are very soft.
• 12 and tomatoes have broken down.
• 13 add lemon juice.
• 14 add salt and pepper to taste.
• 15 serve with crusty, rustic bread and a green salad.