White Bean and Ham Bone Soup

Ingredients

• 1 ham bone with meat
• 4 quartss water
• 1 pound dry great Northern beans
• water to cover
• 2 cups diced fully cooked ham
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• cup dry sherry , Optional
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 0.25 cups minced fresh parsley , Optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Combine ham bone and 4 quarts water in a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat; simmer 10 to 12 hours. Stock can be made in advance and stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or freezer for longer storage.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, place beans in a large pot with enough water to cover; soak overnight. Drain beans; return to the pot.

3. 3

   Transfer ham bone to a cutting board, when cool enough to handle, remove any edible meat. Strain stock; reserve 3 quarts for soup. Remaining stock can be frozen.

4. 4

   Add 3 quarts reserved stock to soaked beans. Add ham, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic; season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, tilting the lid to allow steam to escape; simmer until beans tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add sherry during the last 30 minutes of cooking; season with salt and black pepper.

5. 5

   Sprinkle servings with fresh parsley.