McHale's Navy Bean Soup

To soak or not to soak (the beans), that is the question. When using the meaty ham bone that had been in the freezer since Christmas, I decided to go with the traditional recipe from the Rival Crock Pot Cook Book, circa 1974 (see Split Peabody and Sherman Soup). Trouble is, it says to soak the beans at least 4 hours or overnight, but the package of navy beans said soaking was not necessary. A soup conundrum if ever there was one. I decided to soak, and I went all in and did it all night long. The next day, I just plopped the disgusting animal remains, water, chicken broth (which is optional, you can use all water), and a bay leaf in the crock, turned it on and waited 10 hours for soup. Luckily, I like soup, because that it a long time to wait. A rich and creamy concoction, filled with chunks of ham (which is second only to bacon...) and  a warm tasty meal on a cold winter's day is born.

It hard to believe in this day and age when we so revere the service of the men and women who serve in our armed forces that there was once a time (the 1960s to be exact) when we made a mockery of our service personnel in TV and the movies. Case in point: McHale's Navy, starring Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway (Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy) as PT boat crewman during World War II who are hell bent on making a quick buck, picking up women and other general unmilitary-like antics. And need I mention Gomer Pyle USMC, Wackiest Ship in the Army (with Ricky Nelson) and Operation Petticoat, to name a few more? In the post-World War II pre-Vietnam era, we apparently thought our military was full of bumbling idiots, schemers, and general malingers. Good thing nowadays, we support our troops.


The Recipe:

1 pound dry navy beans (soak or not soak, your choice)
2 quarts water (I chickened out and used part borth)
1 pound meaty ham bone
salt to taste
1/2 tsp pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf

Put all ingredients on CROCK-POT. Cover and cook on low for 10 -12 hours (If you want to be high, 5 to 6 hours). Makes enough to feed an army.