– 1 pound dried navy beans– 1 tablespoon canola oil– 2 medium onions, chopped– 2 celery ribs, chopped– 8 cups water– 1 medium carrot, chopped
– 2 bay leaves– 1 teaspoon dried thyme– 1/2 teaspoon pepper– 2 smoked ham hocks– 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham– 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Cover beans with 2 inches of water in a Dutch oven. Allow to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and allow stand 1–4 hours to soften beans. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid.
2. In the same pan, heat oil over medium heat and add onion and celery. 3-5 minutes, cook and stir until crisp-tender. Mix in softened beans, 8 cups water, carrot, bay leaves, thyme, and pepper.
3. Adding ham hocks. Bring to a boil. Cover and boil for 1-1/4–1-1/2 hours until beans are cooked.
4 Discard bay leaves. Let ham hocks cool before handling. Remove ham bones and cube. Get rid of bones. Ham from hocks to soup. Add cubed ham and salt; heat.