Lima Bean Soup

This recipe is Pennsylvania Dutch. I hope you like it as much as we do. I like to add my Homemade Herb Vinegar and fresh, sliced onion to my bowl of soup.

2 pounds dried lima beans

3 pounds ham with bone or
1-1/2 lb. boneless ham, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 stalk celery, sliced
2 tsp. parsley or 4 Tb. fresh parsley, minced
1 medium onion, chopped

2 pounds ( 4 cups) diced potatoes
ground pepper

Cover lima beans with water and soak lima beans overnight in large 5-quart Dutch oven.
Drain beans and discard water; rinse with water. Remove loose skins from beans.
In same Dutch oven, add ham with bone and cover with water.
Add celery, 1 tsp. parsley, or 2 Tb. fresh parsley, and onion.
Cook until tender.
Discard bone, shred ham to equal 4 cups.
Return ham and add the lima beans to the broth in Dutch oven.
Skim off fat; if needed.
Cover lima beans with water and cook 1/2 hour after boiling.
Add potatoes.
Bring to a boil and simmer 1 hour after boiling or until potatoes are tender and soup thickens from the beans.
Add rest of parsley and ground pepper to taste.
Yield: 8 to 12 servings.

NOTE: When using cubed ham, add 1 Tb. oil to the 5-quart Dutch oven and brown the meat slightly. Sauté onion and celery with meat before adding water; add parsley and soaked lima beans. Follow rest of recipe above.

As we all know, Beans have a tendency to pass gas. I found out by rinsing the beans after soaking, it reduces this tendency. You can also cut this recipe in half.

JACQUELINE'S COOKBOOK