07 December 2006

eat.
i love to eat. and i love to cook. so i thought i'd share an occasional recipe. this is one i pulled out of some random book of my mom's a couple years ago when i unexpectedly came into a hambone. i modified it. i'll give the recipe first and then my modifications.

ham & bean soup.

1 lb. white beans, prepared
8 c. water
1 hambone
2 c. ham, diced
1 c. celery
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf

combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 12 to 14 hours.

modifications: i used white beans and 15 bean mix. there are a couple of ways to prepare beans; the bag should say how. i usually soak them overnight. because i had more beans than it called for, i ended up using only about half the water it called for, which resulted in more of a chili consistency soup than a soupy soup. it was tasty. i also season to taste rather than measuring out my salt and pepper. and knowing me, i probably threw in other seasonings--whatever looked good at the moment. i had a very meaty hambone, meaning there was a lot of meat left on it, so i didn't bother with the 2 cups of diced ham. when i came home from work that day and tried to pull the hambone out, it fell apart. and i've never tasted ham that tender. delicious.

enjoy!

{i first made this soup as part of a series of experimental soups i made for the missionaries. it became a trend that year. and i post it in honor of brooke, who helped me eat the first batch and who has a hambone begging to be used.}

6 comments:

  1. my mom makes a similar dish (had it over thanksgiving weekend) and i have a suggestion for when you eat it...dice up a few yellow chiles (chiles de oro or sometimes called guerito peppers) and toss them in your bowl. they add a little heat to this otherwise tasty pot of beans.

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  2. sounds like a lovely addition. in fact, it would probably be tasty to add some chiles to the whole cooking process.

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  3. i find it's better to add them in individually. those yellow chiles aren't the best for cooking with. but they're good for tossing into things (in fact, you can get them at In-n-Out I saw the other day).

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  4. Thanks, Amelia!! I can't wait. And I'm going to use the 15 bean mix for sure. That made it oh, so exciting.

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  5. ham & bean soup is actually one of my favorite foods, though one i don't eat too often. but your post reminded me that this is a good season for it!

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