soup-bean soup

Servings: 8
"This dried navy bean soup is made with a ham bone, cubed ham, carrots, onion, celery and bay leaves."
Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package dried navy beans
7 cups water
1 ham bone
2 cups diced ham
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
Directions:
1. Place rinsed beans into a large stock pot. Add water and bring to a boil. Boil gently for 2 minutes; remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour.
2. Add ham bone, cubed ham, onion, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beans are soft. Occasionally skim service of soup while it is cooking.
3. Add carrots and celery, cook until tender. Remove ham bone, scrape any meat from bone and place back into soup and serve.

HELPFUL HINT:I am an Appalachian "kid" and bean soup was a staple in our family. Here is a little trick I learned. Cover your beans, nothing else added, with cold water, and bring to a solid boil for about 10 minutes. Remove the pan DON'T DRAIN and SET THE PAN IN YOUR SINK. Throw in about 1/4 cup baking soda, (in the hills it's a handful) and stir like crazy until the foam that will appear disappears, (don't worry if the foam looks green). Drain and rinse very well in cold water to remove all the soda flavor, then start recooking according to the directions. Doing this, you won't have to soak the beans, it cuts your cooking time, and removes maybe not all, but most of the "gas". More soda, less gas. The reason for setting the pan in the sink is that it will foam quite a bit and could go over the sides of your pan. BTW, never used a bay leaf in my life for bean soup.