Lima Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry large (or baby) lima beans
• 8 cups water
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 carrots (chopped)
• 2 small leeks (white bulb only, chopped)
  or 1 small onion (chopped)
• 1 minced shallot or (2 garlic cloves minced)
• 2 stalks celery (chopped)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp salt (omit if using salty meat)
• ground black pepper
• 8 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 2 potatoes
• Optional: Ham bone, uncured bacon, or salt pork – prepare as directed and add to soup with broth.

Instructions

1. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil.
2. Add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp baking soda (a pinch).
   (Baking soda both speeds cooking and softens beans making them creamier by raising pH.)
3. Add lima beans and boil for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, cover. Let beans soak for 2.5 hours.
5. Drain and rinse beans; return to pot.
6. In a large pan, heat olive oil and sauté the onion/leeks, garlic/shallots until slightly translucent.
7. Add 8 cups of chicken broth to the beans in the pot. Add the rest of the vegetables.
8. Stir to combine and simmer on low for 1.5 hours, uncovered, stirring frequently.
9. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
10. In the meantime, peel, quarter, and boil the potatoes until fork tender. Drain and mash then add to soup to thicken.