| 1 | Preparation: rinse, pick over beans, and put them in a bowl of cold water to cover by 3 inches. |
| 2 | Let stand for 24 hours; drain. |
| 3 | (or, put beans in a large saucepan with water to cover, bring to a boil, cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 1 hour; drain). |
| 4 | Peel and mince the garlic. |
| 5 | Peel and coarsely chop the tomato. |
| 6 | Cut the fennel into ?inch dice. |
| 7 | Rinse spinach and swiss chard and cut into ?inch julienne strips. |
| 8 | Peel potatoes and carrots; leave whole. |
| 9 | Grate the cheese (1 ?cups). |
| 10 | Cooking: put drained beans in a large saucepan; add ham hocks and 2 quarts water. |
| 11 | Bring to a boil, partially cover, and simmer for 20 minutes; drain. |
| 12 | Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in a 6-quart soup kettle, add fennel, spinach and swiss chard, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. |
| 13 | Drain and set aside. |
| 14 | Heat oil in soup kettle. |
| 15 | Add garlic and saute until golden, about 1 minute. |
| 16 | Add the tomato and cook over low heat until tomato liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. |
| 17 | Add the beans, hocks, broth , and bay leaf. |
| 18 | Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. |
| 19 | Add whole potatoes and carrots, cover and simmer until they are tender, about 30 minutes longer. |
| 20 | Transfer potatoes and carrots to a large plate and mash with a potato masher. |
| 21 | Return mashed mixture to the kettle, and stir in the spinach mixture, corn, and peas. |
| 22 | Bring soup to a boil, then simmer, stirring and skimming foam from surface occasionally, until peas and corn are tender, about 15 minutes. |
| 23 | Season with salt, if necessary. |
| 24 | Serving: ladle soup into warm bowls. |
| 25 | Sprinkle with ground pepper and cheese. |
| 26 | Makes 10 to 12 main course servings. |
| 27 | [cooks; jan/feb 1989] |
