1 - First, put beans and 3 liters of water in a 4-quart pot. Add salt. Heat on high until it boils. Remove it from the heat, cover it, and leave it for an hour. After that, set them aside to dry.
2 - Next, warm up some oil in a large pot over medium heat until it starts to shimmer. Put the onion, carrots, and celery in the pan. Cook and stir occasionally for around 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
3 - Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute, until the garlic smells nice. Place the vegetables in a heat-resistant small bowl and leave it to the side.
4 - In the same large pot, mix the rest of the water with thyme, chopped parsley, bay leaf, and ham hocks.
5 - Heat until boiling, then reduce heat to simmer gently. Place a lid on the pot and cook for around an hour, or until the ham hocks are tender.
6 - Put in the beans, mix them in, and let it simmer gently again. If needed, change the temperature. Place a lid on the pot and cook, stirring every 30 minutes, for approximately 2 hours, or until the beans are tender and the meat is very tender.
7 – Discard the thyme and bay leaf. Place the ham hocks on a cutting board and leave them there for around 20 minutes, or until they have cooled down and you can touch them. Using a spoon with holes, transfer 2 1/2 cups of the beans to a medium heat-resistant bowl and set them aside.
Once the ham hocks have cooled down, use a sharp knife to cut the meat into pieces. Discard the skin, bones, and fat. Put aside.
9 - Use a hand blender to blend the soup until it is smooth. Add the beans, meat, and vegetables that you saved back into the pot and mix them together.
10 - Once the mixture is gently boiling again, let it cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the ham is warm. You can add salt and pepper as much as you like.
