Navy Bean Soup

As a Mess Specialist in the United States Navy you learn a few things right from the get go. A nations military force moves on its stomach, but also that food can be a huge moral influence for our service members. I remember standing in MS "A" School in San Diego, CA, where we learned the basics. Course one of the basics for us is Navy Bean Soup. It has been passed down through lore that the Navy Bean was chosen because of its smaller size hence the ability to cook faster than the larger Great Northern or Cannellini beans and so less work for the cooks. The soup to me was the citified version of the pinto beans and ham hocks that we had eaten in my family for as long as I can remember. The version of Navy Bean soup that we are sharing has the classic ingredients with a few southern embellishments such as grilled okra and smoked sturgeon to replace some of the ham which is a great way to lighten up the soup.