Instructions: Wash beans, cover with cold water and soak overnight. Drain and wash again.

Place them in a large pot with the 2 1/2 quarts water. Cover and simmer 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, saute the bacon over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add celery and onion and cook until the onions are tender and transparent. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add ham hock, parsley, bay leaves, garlic, carrots, parsnips, pepper, salt and beans

(with their cooking liquid).

Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 3 hours. Add more water if necessary to keep mixture very loose.

Remove soup from heat and remove ham hocks. Ladle half of the soup into a blender and puree. Remove any meat from the ham bone or hocks, chop fine and return to soup, along with the blended soup, Madeira wine and chopped eggs.

Soup may be prepared up to 2 days in advance. When ready to transport to the game or the picnic, bring mixture to a boil and gently simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour hot soup into a pre-heated vacuum bottle.

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