For this recipe, I used a ham that my husband smoked on the green egg. Deli ham would work just the same but would give a slightly different flavor.
My cook times for this recipe result in the beans being so cooked that they fall apart. It leaves a creamy buttery texture. If you perfer more firm beans then you should decrease the cooking time my 30-45 minutes.
3 stalks celery, diced small
1 cup sliced carrot
1/2 onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, diced small
10 ounces dried white beans
6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 cups cubed ham
1 large russet potato, diced
1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme – remove stems
1 teaspoom white pepper
pinch or more cayenne
3 tablespoons butter
Clean and rinse the beans. Place the beans in water with salt. Bring this to a full rolling boil. Remove it from heat and cover the pot. Let them sit for 60 minutes.
Turn the heat back on. Add all of the ingredients to the pot except the butter and ham. Place a few pieces of ham into the pot (1/4 cup) and reserve the rest. Simmer on low covered for 60 minutes. Stir the mixture every 15 minutes. Add water is needed. It is supposed to be a thicker soup.
After an hour, add the diced ham and butter. Cover and cook another 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Serve with crusty french bread or corn bread.
The Funky Oven 