mom's portuguese bean soup

Soak beans overnight. Drain. Place beans in large soup pot and cover with water. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer 3 hours or longer. Add water, if necessary. Remove ham hocks. Give your favorite cat or dog the bones, skin and fat. Break up the meat and return it to the soup. Add cabbage and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Serve with thick slices of Portuguese Sweet Bread and butter. You can die now; you're in heaven! Second day - moh Bettah! Me ke aloha, Mary NOTES : E hele mai oukou e ai! (Come and eat!) Recipe by: Mary Spero Posted to TNT - Prodigy's Recipe Exchange Newsletter by MarySpero@... (MS MARY E SPERO) on 3 Ju, l 1997