Smoked Pork and Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups Dried Pink Beans
• 6 Lb Smoked Ham Hocks Cut In 1 Pieces
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion Chopped
• 1 1/2 Tsp Hungarian Paprika
• 2 Qts Beef Stock
• 2 Tsp Freshly Rendered Lard Or Oil
• 4 Cloves Garlic Thinly Sliced
• Salt And Fresh Ground Pepper To Taste
• Soak the beans overnight in about 4 cups of water. Drain the beans and place in a 6 quart pot along with all other ingredients except the lard/oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until the hocks are tender. Strain the hocks from the pot and cool. Remove the meat and discard the bones. Remove 1/4 of the beans and puree with 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Return to the pot. Chop the deboned meat and add to the pot. Stir all together and return the soup to a simmer. Heat a small frying pan; add the lard/oil and saute the garlic for a moment. Add the garlic to the pot along with salt and pepper to taste.

REG5