Navy Bean and Ham Soup

So, I'm not sure recipes can get easier or have fewer ingredients than this one. Like, for real. There's no spices. There's no added salt or pepper (I know, WHAT?!?) I was skeptical, but this is a deliciously smoky, creamy (thanks to the beans) and slightly sweet (thanks to the glaze on the ham) soup that is even tastier with some bread dunked in it. Try it. It does take some time - completely hands-off time, but plan accordingly. You'll need about 4-5 hours from start to finish.

From Home Made Interest, with a few tweaks by me

Ingredients:

*Ham Hock with some meat attached (we used the hock previously in split pea soup, but still had meat left over, so that's what we used - from a Smithfield ham in the "pretty blue package" - my favorite kind. We also added the leftover glaze that was in the container with the ham)
*16 oz. dried navy beans (or any white bean)
*8 cups chicken stock (the original recipe called for water - Evan will tell you I always use chicken stock instead when a soup or sauce calls for water)

1. Wash and rinse beans.

2. Quick-soak the beans in a dutch oven or soup pot with enough water to cover them with an inch of liquid. Bring to a boil for a few minutes and then turn off the heat. Let them soak for an hour. Then drain and return to the pot.

3. Add hock, ham pieces, and chicken stock to the pot. You want the hock to be completely covered with liquid, so you may need to add slightly more stock (the 8 cups was fine for us since we did not have the hock).

4. Bring to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes before turning the heat to low. Cover with a lid. Cook for at least 3 hours (ours took about 3 and a half), or until beans are soft.