Portuguese Bean Soup Recipe

This recipe is adapted from Joan Namkoong's cookbook, "Go Home, Cook Rice."

Portuguese bean soup is an Island favorite, unique to the Portuguese community which adapted their recipe to the local ingredients of Hawaii.

Although the recipe has amounts listed - there are no exact amounts - Joan recommends using whatever you have in your fridge or around the house, in whatever quantities you like. Kale, chard, watercress, macaroni, chili flakes .. whatever. The only well defined ingredient is the Portuguese sausage.

This recipe freezes well.

ingredients (which is just a suggestion):
2-3 ham hocks
6 quarts water
2 pounds Portuguese sausage - diced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 onions - diced
4-6 fresh tomatoes - diced
3 stalks celery - diced
2 potatoes - diced
4 cloves hard-neck garlic - diced
1/2 cabbage - cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound cooked or canned kidney or berlotti beans
1/2 cup uncooked tubular pasta
sea salt and black pepper to taste

directions:
1. Place ham hacks in stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Simmer covered for 2-3 hours. Remove ham hocks and cool. Remove remaining meat from bones and dice into 1/2 inch pieces.

2. Add Portuguese sausage and add harder vegetables - like the carrots, celery and onions. Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes. Add additional ingredients and simmer for an additional 45-60 minutes until everything is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

serves 12