Senate Bean Soup

Step 1: Place the dry navy beans in a bowl and cover them by 1 inch with water. Stir in a generous pinch of salt, cover bowl and let stand 8 hours (or overnight).

Step 2: Rinse beans in colander 2 to 3 times, and drain well. Place beans in a large stock pot. Add hot water, ham hocks and bone, celery and garlic. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to Low, cover pot, and let it simmer about 3 hours or until beans are soft, stirring every 20 to 30 minutes to prevent sticking.

Step 3: Remove ham hocks from soup mixture, and set aside 10 minutes (or so) to cool. Once it's cool enough to handle, cut the meat away from the bone. Dice the meat and add it to the soup pot (discard the bone, fat and skin). NOTE: The soup should begin to thicken by now. But you can add a small bit of mashed potatoes or 1 tablespoon of dry potato flakes at a time to thicken it. Or if it's too thick, you can add a few tablespoons of water to thin it to desired consistency.

Step 4: Melt butter in a skillet, and lightly brown the onion in the butter. Stir onions and parsley into the soup, and bring it to a low boil. Once it reaches a low boil, remove pot from heat.

Step 5: Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.