Ortmann's No Place Restaurant German Bean and Sausage Soup
Grrrrrgh!
Course : Beans
From: HungryMonster.com
Serves: 16
 

Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   1      pound         dry navy beans -- rinsed well
   5      quarts        water to cook beans
     1/4  cup           plus 2 teaspoons chicken soup base (not
                        bouillon)
   1                    cooked ham hock
   1      teaspoon      dried thyme
   4      cups          cut-up onions -- carrots and celery
                        (equal parts of each)
   4      cups          diced raw potatoes -- peeled
   1      pound         short-cut frozen green beans
   1 1/2  pounds        smoked kielbasa -- diced
 

Preparation:

Soak beans in water in 6-quart pot overnight. Drain water from beans, then add 5 quarts water to beans. Add chicken base, ham hocks and thyme. Bring to boil, then simmer 1 to 11/2 hours or until beans are almost done. Remove ham hocks and set aside to cool. Add onions, carrots, celery and potatoes. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are almost done. Add green beans. Remove meat from ham hocks and add to soup along with sausage. Simmer until green beans are done and meat is heated through, about 10 minutes. If soup is too thick, add additional water. Makes about 1 gallon.