Apparently bean soup has been served in the U.S. Senate cafeteria every day since day one. This is the recipe I found, that was supposed to be the actual, authentic recipe, but pretty sure it’s not. I’ve seen a lot of other recipes, all pretty similar, and not at all like this one. It uses Lady Cream Peas, which are little tiny beans. I had to try it, found the soup is delicious, so I don’t care if it’s the authentic recipe or not. I had to buy the Cream Peas on Amazon, but decided it’s worth it. Only thing is, it’s hard to gauge the salt level because it depends on how salty your ham hocks are. This recipe usually works fine for me, but you could always use all unsalted chicken broth and then just add salt to taste.
1 lb Camellia brand Lady Cream Peas, rinsed
1-1/2 lb smoked ham hocks
2 quarts chicken broth (I use one unsalted, one salted)
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1-1/2 tsp black pepper
Place in a pressure cooker and cook on high for 40 minutes, then let pressure release for 20 minutes before opening. Remove the ham hocks, pick off the meat, and return the ham to the pot.