Navy Bean Soup

The really special thing about this soup is the ratio of ham hock to the rest of the ingredients.  It makes it wonderfully smoky and very rich.  Here goes:

1 ea ham hock

1/2 gallon turkey stock

1/2 # Navy beans

3/4 cup diced onions

1 cup diced carrot

3/4 cup diced celery

1 cup diced canned tomatoes

2 Tbls fresh herb mix (we make an herb mix of parsley, chive and

oregano)

2 diced Yukon Gold potaotes

1 Tbls kosher salt

1/2 Tbls black pepper

Soak beans overnight.

Place ham hocks in stock and bring to a simmer for ten minutes.

Dice the celery and carrots into 1/4" pieces.

Place beans, celery, carrots, onions, and tomatoes in soup and bring back to a simmer.

Simmer for 1 hour.

Dice the potatoes into 1/4" pieces and place them in the pot with the seasonings.

Remove ham hocks and clean the meat from the bone. Dice the meat and place back in the soup.

Simmer for another 45 min.

Adjust seasoning.