Spanish White Bean Soup

The day before soak 1 1/2 pounds of dried Great Northern beans. I used jowl bacon to start this recipe. If you can't get your hands on a jowl, just use a thick smokey bacon instead. Dice it into small cubes and cook it until it is crispy in a heavy pot. Remove it and set it aside. Leave the grease in the pot.

It will take a bit of time to render the bacon. Cook it over medium heat and be patient. While the bacon is cooking, dice 4 carrots, 2 parsnips (optional), 2 large onions and 4 stalks of celery.

Add the vegetables to the grease in the pot and saute' until they begin to soften. Dice 6 cloves of garlic. Add the garlic to the pot with 4 bay leaves and several sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Add 3 tablespoons of dried thyme and a tablespoon of cracked black pepper. Add 16 cups of chicken stock. This recipe can be cut in half

Add a package of chicken demi glace'. If you can't find this in your neck of the woods, use 5 large chicken bouillon cubes. Drain and add the soaked beans. Add the sausage

I also added 2 smoked ham hocks.  Simmer for a couple hours. Keep pushing the ham hock down and if you want go ahead and cut it off the bone. Take sausage out and slice it if you want to as well

Now time for the next ingredient , many dishes like this would call for potatoes but for this one I added a box of boiled pasta shells. Cook the past for only 1/2 the time you normally would.

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