Meg O'Malley'S Irish Parliament Bean Soup

• 2 lbs navy beans (dried)
• 1 ham bone
• 1 gallon water
• 1 medium onion, diced small
• 4 stalks celery, diced small
• 2 carrots, diced small
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf

1. Rinse beans in cool water and soak overnight. In a 6-quart stock pot, add drained beans, ham bone, water, and seasonings and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are soft (about 1 1/2 hours). Add vegetables and cook until tender and soup has thickened. Remove ham bone, adjust seasonings and enjoy with Irish Brown Bread or you favorite crackers.
2. Chef Matt: Meg O'Malley's.
3. Notes: I first cooked a bone-in ham by rubbing the surface with ground ginger and cloves; put in a "brown-n-bag" and pour in a small bottle of ginger ale. Seal and place in a 325* oven for 3 hours. To the soup, I add an extra carrot, more salt and pepper, an extra teaspoon of thyme and some of the ham that I have diced. YUM ! ! !

navy beans, ham bone, gallon water, onion, stalks celery, carrots, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/meg-omalleys-irish-parliament-bean-soup-463525 (may not work)