Sunday, December 27, 2009

leftover christmas ham

and ham hock for 7 bean and lentil soup!




i don't remember exaaactly. i didn't use a recipe, but it was something like:
olive oil in the pot...maybe 2 tablespoons
3 large carrots
2 large leeks
1/2 celery bunch
1 large onion

sautee those until softened with salt and pepper. add 5 cloves minced garlic. sautee a bit.

add about 3 cups of bean mix. can be dried peas, beans, lentils, whatever. the size just changes the ultimate stewing time.

then add liquid. i used 4 cups chicken stock and about 6 cups of water. use your judgement on how the liquid to solid ratio is in the pot.

add the ham hock and completely submerge it in the liquid. if using alot of water, definitely salt and pepper the soup at this point before it simmers for a good while. if you like (completely delicious) also cube up leftover ham if you have any. ommmm nom nom nom nom. i just got through having a ham orgy.

anyway, add seasonings of choice, but really, not much is needed. maybe a touch of cayenne or some creole spice. careful on salt.
bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. cover and let sit on low for 3 or 4 hours, depending on the sizes of the beans. if you like, remove the hock when serving and scrape the meat away. this isn't completely necessary because the meat just falls off of it and the bone is kinda cool to see just sitting there in the middle of the pot. medieval. earthy. i leave my bones where they lay.

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