Instructions: Soak the beans in water for 12 hours and drain. Refill the pot with chicken broth and water to cover the beans well. Add the ham hock(s) and bring to a boil over medium heat. Skim any scum from the surface. Add vegetables, clove and garlic. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Cook down several hours until the beans begin to break down, at least 2 hours. Cool and discard the rosemary and clove (if you can find it!). Puree it a little to smooth out and add some additional chicken broth if needed. Reheat and serve with dollops of the yellow peppers and tomatoes. Top with a light ribbon of olive oil and parmesan cheese.

Betsys Notes: I used 2 ham hocks and removed them when I put the veggies in. I used mostly chicken broth and then did not add any salt. I left the vegetables in big chunks so I could remove them. I left the herbs loose, but next time would put them in cheese cloth so they could be removed.

A friend served this to us last December, and I finally got around to making it myself. See my notes for what I did. When I was served this there were no vegetable chunks in it, so I left them big and took them out. Next time I might just puree them into the soup. What do you think?

This is a wonderful soup, very hearty with flavors that take you to Italy!

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.