Red Bean Soup

• 2 lb. dried red beans
• 1 1/4 lb. seasoning (baked ham)
• 1 1/4 c. chopped onion
• 1 c. thinly sliced shallots (scallions)
• 1/3 c. celery
• 3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
• 3 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 c. chopped green pepper
• 1 c. rice
• 2 large ham bones
• 4 qt. water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper pods, crushed
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1. Soak red beans overnight in cold water to cover.
2. When ready to cook, drain in colander and put them with the other ingredients into a heavy 8 to 10-quart pot or kettle.
3. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat and simmer for 5 hours.
4. Turn off heat; remove ham bones and scoop out the pieces of ham.
5. Strain the soup through a coarse sieve into a large bowl, mashing whole beans with a wooden spoon.
6. Remove about 3/4 cup of bean solids from sieve and put them in bowl with ham.
7. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for later use.
8. Put the thick creamy soup back into pot and warm over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring to keep it smooth.
9. Serve piping hot over rice.

red beans, seasoning, onion, shallots, celery, parsley, garlic, green pepper, rice, ham bones, water, salt, bay leaves, black pepper, cayenne, red pepper, thyme

Taken from www.cookbooks.com/Recipe-Details.aspx?id=258796 (may not work)