Ingredients
1lbdried white navy beans,or Great Northern beans, rinsed, checked for stones
6cupswater
4cupschicken stock
2bay leaves
1yellow onion,plus ½ cup minced, peeled, quartered
2lbssmoked ham hocks
2carrots,diced
2celery stalks,diced
14oztomatoes,(1 can), chopped or diced
4garlic cloves,minced
1tbspfresh thyme leaves,chopped
salt
1½cupkale,or other dark leafy greens, chopped
extra-virgin olive oil
pecorino romano,or parmigiano reggiano, finely grated
Preparation
Place the beans in a medium pot and cover with 2 to 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 1 minute.
Remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 1 hour. Drain in a colander.
Place the drained beans into a 5.5-quart Dutch oven or large pot. Add the water, chicken stock, bay leaves, quartered onion, and ham hocks.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour, until the beans are just tender.
Once the beans are tender, pull out the bay leaves, onion remnants, and ham hocks. Discard the bay leaves and onions, but set the ham hocks aside to cool.
Add the minced onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and 2 teaspoons of salt to the pot. Increase the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, and when the ham hocks are cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the hocks, discard any bone, fat, and tough sinew, and chop the meat finely.
Use a ladle to transfer about 2 cups of the beans and vegetables, along with a bit of broth, to a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth, and then stir the mixture back into the soup.
Add the meat and kale to the soup and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, if necessary.
Garnish each bowl with a drizzle with olive oii and a heap of grated cheese, serve, and enjoy!
