Southern Creamy Butter Beans

Southern Creamy Butter Beans (Large Lima Beans) 1 pound bag of Camellia brand large lima beans Water to cover plus an inch 1 tablespoon of bacon fat, butter or vegetable oil 1/2 cup of chopped onion 1/2 cup of chopped celery 1/4 cup of chopped carrot 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon of dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper grinder 2 cups of leftover baked, smoked ham, roughly chopped Meaty ham bone, 2 or 3 ham hocks or smoked turkey wings 1 (32-ounce) carton of chicken stock 4-6 cups of water 2 bay leaves 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter, optional 2 tablespoons of dried parsley Pinch of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama) Couple pinches of kosher salt, or to taste Rinse and sort beans, place into stockpot with just enough water to cover them, plus about an inch. Bring to a boil, cover and turn off the burner. Let soak covered for one hour, drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in the bottom of soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the bacon fat over medium; add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic and sauté just until tender. Add the thyme and pepper and stir; add the ham, ham bone, ham hocks or smoked turkey wings, chicken stock, 4 cups of the water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and let simmer for about 1 hour. Add the drained beans to the pot. Stir in the butter, parsley, and a pinch of Cajun seasoning. Continue cooking on a low simmer an additional hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until beans are tender and sauce thickens. Add additional chicken stock or water only if needed. When beans are tender, taste and adjust seasonings as desired; cover and hold on very low. Serve over hot cooked rice with a side of cast iron skillet cornbread. Notes: May also simply soak beans in cool water overnight. Older beans take longer to cook so if your beans have been in the pantry for awhile, you may have to cook them longer. Fresh beans cook more quickly. You can substitute bacon if you don't have any leftover ham. Just chop up as much bacon as you want - about a half pound would be good - and saute that in a pan until browned, then toss in the chopped onion, celery, carrots, and garlic right there in with that bacon and bacon fat and cook until tender, adding olive oil only if needed to saute the veggies. Pick up the rest of the recipe from there. For tips on ways to thicken beans, click here. Crockpot: Rinse, drain and sort through beans. Add the unsoaked beans to a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Saute veggies and meats and add with all of the remaining ingredients except butter, parsley, Cajun seasoning and rice. Cover the beans with 5 to 7 cups of very hot water, or use a combination of water and broth if desired - you’ll need more or less depending on whether you’ve soaked your beans and whether you are using a large ham bone. You want to cover the beans by about an inch or so. Cover and cook on high for 7 to 8 hours, 10 to 12 hours on low, or until the beans are tender. Before serving, stir in butter, parsley, Cajun seasoning and salt; taste and adjust seasonings as needed.