It is said that this soup has been continuously on the menu of the U.S. Senate since the early 1900s. I am not surprised. A simple basic soup that has tons of flavour, thanks to a wonderful smoked ham hock. Very similar to split pea soup made with a ham bone but uses navy beans instead of split peas and a smoked ham hock instead of a ham bone. Both very delicious.
7 cups cold water
1 small ham hock
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove the ham hock. Discard the bone, skin and fat. Dice the meat. Return it to the pot along with:
1 large onion, diced3 medium celery stalks with leaves, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Simmer until the potatoes are quite soft, 20-30 min. Remove from heat and mash with a potato masher until the soup is a bit creamy. Stir in 2 tble. fresh chopped parsley.