Lazy Sunday Beans

So I don't really have much time for this update, but I made some killer beans over the weekend. Here's what's up:

I quick-soaked a pound bag of white navy beans (boil them in water, let them sit for about an hour, then drain and add fresh water, bring to another boil), then started with the veggies.

I don't know why this picture won't stay in the center.

First, I sliced three big carrots into tiny slices.

I mean, really tiny slices. Shown is one of the fatter slices.

I sliced four stalks of celery in the same fashion, and also minced two pretty big onions (tennis ball size or so).

I needed some sort of fat/flavor to add to this, so I grabbed a 2 pound chunk of smoked ham and cut it into large cubes (more like rectangles, really). The ham is fully cooked, so it's just in there for flavor.

Cover and stir for about an hour.

I spiced things up with some paprika, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (singing the song while I tossed the spices in, of course), pepper, and a little bit of cumin. I didn't salt this at all, partially because the ham is salty enough, really, and partially because I didn't want the beans to get all grainy and nasty.

Served up with some sour cream and a small dash of salt to taste, this turned out to be a pretty tasty meal. Everything made a sort of gelatinous blend, the celery and onions completely disintegrated, and the carrots hung around just enough to add some color. Total time to prepare was around four hours, including the time just waiting for the beans to soak and for the finished product to boil together. A good lazy Sunday meal, really.