Ingredients:
1 smoked ham hock
1 lb dried small white or navy beans
1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, chopped fine
1 celery stalk, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt, pepper, MSG
1 bay leaf
½ tsp whole sage
1 tsp whole oregano
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 qt. water
1 cup mashed potatoes
In a large (at least 6¾ qt.) kettle, sauté the onion, carrot, and celery over medium heat until soft, add the garlic, sage and oregano and cook for an additional minute. Place the water, ham hock, and spices in the kettle and bring to a simmer, cover and cook for three hours. Remove the ham hock and let cool until the meat can be pulled from the bone and chopped. Return the meat to the broth and add the beans. Cook for an additional hour or until the beans are tender. Stir in the mashed potatoes, remove the bay leaf, and serve.
Serves 9 to 10, but it freezes pretty well so don't worry about it too much.
Alternate:
Bean with Bacon Soup
If you can't find, or just don't want to deal with a ham hock, you can replace it with about a half pound of thickly sliced bacon cut into ¼ inch pieces. Fry the bacon until almost crisp and remove. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the oil, sauté the vegetables. Add the bacon back in and add the broth, water, and beans and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Tip: Mix the mashed potatoes with an equal amount of the soup broth before adding to the soup. That will let it mix in much more easily.