House and Senate and ChatGPT Bean Soup

• 1 lb dried navy beans, cannellini, or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained (or substitute 4 cans navy/white beans, rinsed and drained); I recommend Rancho Gordo’s Alubia Blanca beans, if you can find them
• 4 c water and 4 c chicken stock
• 2 lbs of ham hocks
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 c diced Yukon Gold potatoes (no need to peel, if they’re organic)
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 T lemon juice
• optional: 1/2 tsp each of smoked paprika, basil, oregano, and thyme (use all, some, or none)
• optional: a dab of sour cream and some minced parsley on top for serving – or a dab of butter

Add the water and broth to the beans, bring to a rolling boil, and boil (as suggested by Rancho Gordo) briskly for about 8 minutes, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the ham hocks, the onion, garlic, and bay leaves, partially cover, and simmer for about 2-3 hours or until beans are totally cooked but not mushy, adding more water if necessary to get the right consistency.

Remove ham hock from the pot. Remove the meat from the ham hock and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Add the potatoes, celery, and carrots to the beans and cook for another 20 minutes – or until all the veggies are cooked. Add the pieces of ham back into the soup mixture and reheat. Add lemon juice – and salt and pepper to taste.