Bean Soup As Good As Travis Griffith's

When I was a young woman, I loved my grandmom's cooking. One of the things she made well was ham & bean soup. When Jeannene was small, her dad did almost all the cooking in their family. It was how he showed love and he was a magnificent cook. He loved to make things like prime rib and shrimp cocktail and other classic dishes. However, he was from Harlan, Kentucky, and his southern roots shone in his cooking, too. He was famous for his biscuits & gravy. He was also well-known for his delicious ham & bean soup. The other night, I made a pot of my own. Upon tasting it, Jeannene said, "Daria. This is as good as my dad's. I wish he were alive again just so he could eat this." She proclaimed it, "Fabulous" and I was very honored to be placed in the ranks with Travis. I think my grandmom would have liked it, too. I served it with corn muffins and slices of Opal apple, a new variety to me, and Jeannene's new favorite apple.

Ham & Bean Soup
16 oz. dried navy beans
2 quarts water
1 center cut ham sliced (1 1/2-2 lb), cubed
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cubes Knorr ham-flavor bouillon (or 4 smaller-sized cubes, such as Wyler)
1/2 c. tomato juice
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. brown sugar

Rinse beans and sort through to ascertain that any stray bits of rock or what-have-you have been removed. Place in large soup pot with water to cover and soak overnight. When ready to cook, drain beans and add 2 quarts water. Add all but flour and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 3-4 hours. Mix flour with some of the soup broth and the brown sugar. Add to pot of soup, cover, and cook another hour.