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| What You Need: |
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4 to 5 quarts water
1 pound dried small red beans (see Glossary) or 1 pound dried red kidney beans
1½ pounds smoked ham hocks
2 medium-sized onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped celery, including some of the leaves 1 large bay leaf, crumbled
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped
¼ cup dry red wine or red wine vinegar
2 scallions, including the green tops, trimmed and sliced crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds
2 lemons, sliced crosswise into 4-inch-thick rounds
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Bring 3½ quarts of water to a boil over high heat in a heavy 8- to 10- quart casserole. Drop in the beans and boil them for 2 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let the beans soak for 1 hour. Drain off the liquid, measure it and add enough fresh water to make up 3½ quarts.
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2. Return the liquid to the casserole, add the ham hocks, onions, celery and bay leaf, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 3 hours, or until the ham is tender and shows no resistance when pierced deeply with the point of a small sharp knife.
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3. Transfer the ham hocks to a plate and cut off and discard the skin and bones. Cut the meat into ¼-inch pieces. Puree the beans and vegetables and their cooking liquid through the medium blade of a food mill and return them to the casserole. Add the ham, taste the soup, and season it with salt and pepper.
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4. Stir in the chopped eggs and bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Remove the casserole from the heat, stir in the wine or vinegar, and serve at once from a heated tureen or individual soup plates. Just before serving, garnish the soup with the scallions and lemon slices.
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