You will need:

One pound dry white beans (I used pinto).
Two large bay leaves.
Four sprigs fresh thyme
Sea Salt/Fresh Pepper
Two smoked ham hock/shanks (I used a Hungarian Style Shank).
Two medium sized sweet onions – 1/4 inch dice.
Two medium sized red bell pepper – 1/8 inch dice.
One small habanero pepper, seeds removed – finely diced.
One large package frozen corn kernels
Low sodium chicken broth

Start with the beans, in a container large enough to hold the entire package and enough water to cover soak beans for 12 hours or overnight.

Once soaked drain them and place in a large stock pot with enough water to cover by at least two inches. Add all the remaining ingredients except the corn kernels and chicken stock. Bring pot to a slow boil and turn heat down to a low setting. It will take a while to cook but this slow method will help to thicken the final product without the need for a roux or other thickener.

The beans should be done when the ham hock/shank meat separates from the bone. You can also tell by taking a few out of the pot and taste, they should be just at the al denté stage. At this point you have a great pot of beans. You can portion out several meals using some for a side and some for the soup.

Now the soup part. Depending on how many servings you want to make remove a sufficient quantity of the beans and place in another stock pot. Add the packaged corn kernels and chicken stock. How much chicken stock to use is a personal choice. The more stock you use will produce a thinner soup. Some recipes might suggest that you blend a portion of the soup however I find that this is an unnecessary step.

Enjoy!

You will need:
Baby Artichoke – two/person
Honey/Mustard (I used Inglehoffer Sweet Hot Mustard) – approximately 2 TBSP/Artichoke
Fresh Lemon Juice – 2 TBSP
Olive Oil – approximately 2 TBSP
Lemon Zest – approximatelt 2 TBSP
Sea Salt/Cracked Pepper – to taste.

Clean the artichokes as you would a large one, cut about 1/2 inch of the top and remove all tough outside leaves. Cut of the small stem at the bottom and remove any tough growth. Cut each artichoke in half length wise, the entire choke is edible at this point. Place cut chokes in a bowl large enough to hold them and add the lemon juice and cold water to cover. In a sauce pot large enough to hold the water and chokes, boil until the chokes are tender, time depends on the size of the chokes and can be tested with a sharp knife, it should slide into the choke easily. Let the chokes cool long enough to be able to handle.

In a sauté pan large enough to hold the chokes add olive oil and bring to the point of an easy shimmer. Pat the artichokes dry and rub the mustard into the cut side and try to get some into the layers of the leaves. Mix the lemon zest, salt and pepper and season the chokes well. Place chokes into shimmering oil and sauté until golden brown. Remove the chokes from the pan and add enough water to the pan to create a sauce. Pour sauce over the chokes and serve.

NB: While the chokes are sautéing move them around a little so that the mustard glaze does not carmelize to much.