Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cups black beans
• 2 qts. cold water
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup chopped celery leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 medium sized carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, cut up
• 4 whole cloves
• 10 peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 grains mustard seed
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 small cloves garlic
• large ham bone
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• dash cayenne pepper
• thin lemon slices
• hard boiled egg

Directions

Wash and pick beans. Put them in soup kettle with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, saute' in butter the celery leaves, onion, carrots and celery until they just begin to brown. Add these to beans, as well as cloves, peppercorns gently bruised, bay leaves, mustard seed, salt, garlic and large ham bone. Let simmer until beans are tender - about 4 hours. Add a little more water if it cooks away too much. At end of cooking time, remove ham bone and puree soup in blender. Reheat to boiling point; taste for seasoning; add cayenne. When serving, place a thin slice of lemon and a slice of hard boiled egg in each soup plate or bowl and pour hot soup over them.

By Robin from Washington, IA