Martha Washington’s Bean Soup

When I was a young wife and mom, a Texan married to a Pennsylvanian and living in Germany, cooking for my husband was complicated. He was not raised on the staple dishes of my own upbringing, and I was unfamiliar with the foods of the North. Enter Jo. Jo and her husband lived downstairs from us. She was from Pennsylvania, and besides being an avid cook, she had a desire to have someone to "mother." Jo and Roger quickly became dear friends to us, surrogate grandparents to our firstborn, and in her kitchen I learned to make the mysterious meals that my husband loved. This soup is one of our favorites. So good for a cold or rainy day. This soup is a reason to have ham- so you can have a ham bone to make soup! (And I still don't know what Martha Washington has to do with it!)

From Jo Durbin

1 lb. Mixed dry beans

ham bone or two ham hocks

1 large onion, chopped

1 28 oz. can tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp. peppercorns

3-4 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Rinse beans the night before, put in large pot, cover with water and soak *overnight.  Drain in the morning.  Add 2 quarts of water and ham bone or hocks.  Simmer slowly 2 ½ - 3 hours.  Remove ham bone or hocks, and add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for another 30 minutes.  Once ham is cool enough to handle, separate meat from bones and fat, chop into small bits, and return the meat to the soup.

Serve with cornbread- yum!  

*If you spontaneously decide to make this and haven't soaked your beans overnight, all hope is not lost! Simply put the beans in a large pot and cover with water as described above, bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to sit for 1 hour. Drain, and continue with the recipe.