Great on a cold rainy fall night with fresh bread and butter :). This one comes from an old country cookbook I found here in Pine Mountain, GA and you can make it with one hand, sort of.

1 1/2 cup dried small white (navy) beans
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh Rosemary, minced
7 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesian Cheese
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
With enough water to cover, soak beans for 4 hours. Drain the beans and set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery and saute', stirring gently, until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and rosemary and continue to saute for a few more minutes. Add the drained beans and the stock or water (all 7 cups). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, until tender - 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the heat.

In a blender or food processor, puree 1/3 to 1/2 of the bean mixture until smooth. Return puree to soup pot and reheat gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Garnish with Parmesian cheese and parsley and serve immediately.