White Bean Soup – The Very Best Way to Use a Ham Bone
- 1 ham bone with meat
- 1 lb white beans – I used Great Northern
- 7 cups of water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 T olive oil
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 small yellow onions or 2 larger ones, chopped
- 1 t salt
- few grinds of pepper from the mill
- 1 sprig fresh tarragon, chopped
- 1/4 c heavy cream
- Rinse the beans and sort, taking out any misshapen beans
- Place beans, water, bay leaf and ham bone in pressure cooker
- Cook on high for 30 minutes, let pressure come down naturally
- Remove ham bone from beans and pick off any meat
- Remove and discard bay leaf
- In large dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat
- Add chopped vegetables and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly
- Add ham to dutch oven with the liquid and beans from the pressure cooker
- Let simmer about 30 minutes on low heat
- Add the tarragon
- Add the heavy cream
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste