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1
Rinse and sort through beans to check for any small pebbles or debris.
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2
Place beans in a Dutch oven, add water to cover by 2 inches.
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3
Bring to boil, boil 2 min.
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4
Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 1 hour.
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5
Drain beans and place them in a separate bowl.
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6
In the Dutch oven saute onion, celery and garlic in 3T butter until tender.
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7
Put beans back in Dutch oven along with ham bone, ham chunks, water, broth, tomatoes, bay leaf, ground cloves and pepper.
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8
( below is a pic of soup mixture and the ham chunks I purchased at Wal-mart)
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9
Bring to boil then reduce heat and cover.
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10
Simmer for about 2 1/2 hrs.
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11
Until beans are soft.
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12
Remove ham bone and bay leaf.
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13
Let sit until cool enough to handle then chill in refrigerator overnight.
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14
(Just put the Dutch oven in fridge, no need to transfer to another container)
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15
Skim fat off of top.
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16
( this pic shows the bottom half has been skimmed and top half still has fat layer.
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17
Just so you can see what you're needing to remove. )
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18
Stir in milk and cream.
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19
Cook on low until heated.
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20
(Do not allow to boil because of the milk and cream that have been added.)
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21
Just before serving stir in cheese.
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22
Remember, if you have leftovers and need to reheat, do not bring to boil.
