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This is the one beloved by Joseph G. Cannon, U.S. Speaker of the House, 1903-1911, who was so outraged one day when it wasn't on the menu that he mandated it be served henceforth at lunch in all 11 Capitol dining rooms every single solitary day. And so it has; and so it is the acknowledged favorite of such luminaries as Senator Bob Dole, former Representative and former President Gerald Ford, and Representative Sonny Bono, until his unfortunate skiing accident. It's a thick, subtantial, filling thing, that reputedly increases the already considerable gassiness of our nation's legislators. Serve to 6-8 people as a light meal or substantial first course.

SOUPTALE: In March 1998, Representative John Spratt, Jr. (D-SC), walked down the marbled steps near the Senate restaurant, slipped on spilled bean soup, and ended up with two small fractures in his right arm. O Tempore! O Mores!

• 1 pound dry white beans, soaked overnight (or quick soaked)
• 1 meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks
• 3 quarts water
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 stalks celery, with leaves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• [Senate version: add 1 cup cooked mashed potatoes]
• salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: minced parsley or chives

Strain the water from the soaked beans and put in a big pot with 3 quarts of water and the ham bone or ham hocks. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.

Stir the chopped vegetables and herbs into the pot--and also the mashed potatoes if you're cooking the Senate version--and cook over low heat for another hour--until the beans are nicely tender.

Remove the bones from the pot--cut off the meat into small bits and return the meat to the pot, discarding the bones.

When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with pinches of herbs. For "U.S. House of Representative Bean Soup" authenticity, crush a few of the beans in each bowl to thicken the broth and make it slightly opaque.