2 day Bean Chowder

Directions

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