Whenever my Mom made ham we could always expect to big bowl of
soup the next day for lunch. She would chop up the ham, throw in the ham
hock, and add whatever she had on hand to make the most delicious soup.
Beans are perfect for soup because they soak up the deliciousness of the
broth and veggies. Love this soup....it reminds me of home.
Country Ham And Bean Soup
Ham Stock
4 tablespoons butter or use bacon
grease
1 onion diced
3 stalks of celery finely diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 large ham hocks or ham
shanks
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
In a large stock pot, melt butter or
bacon grease over medium heat. Add diced onion, garlic, celery to
pot and cook until tender. Next add your ham hock or shank and the water
and chicken broth. Add in thyme and bay leaf and stir well. Cover with
lid and bring to boil. Then reduce heat to simmer on low and cook for about
three hours. Remove ham hock and set aside.
Pour the stock through a
strainer and remove solids. If using right away, return to pot and
prepare to make your soup. If not you can freeze it for later
Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (30 oz) can of diced
tomatoes
2 bay leaves
4 whole cloves
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons garlic powder
1 pound of
dry great Northern beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 teaspoon pepper
Salt to taste
Heat the oil in the bottom of a
Dutch oven or large soup pot. Add chopped onion, celery and carrot; cook
over medium until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another
minute. Remove from heat and add the ham you picked from the ham shank or ham
hock. Add mixture to soup pot and stir well to combine all
ingredients.
Rinse and sort through the beans.
Add to the pot, along with prepared ham stock. Add in diced tomatoes, cloves,
bay leaves, brown sugar and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper. Stir
and bring to a boil. Reduce your heat to low and cook for about 3½ hours or
until beans are tender, checking every hour to make sure you add enough water
to keep beans covered. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot with
Cornbread!
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