A Tale of Two Ham Bone Soup Recipes

I’m sitting here gutted that Alison used the last of our leeks in a Beef Bourguignon. You can never have too many Leeks in your garden.

In other tragic news I cannot find the print outs of the latest recipe I have been bastardising. Now for some good news. Thanks to google search history I found it. Here it is. Never to be lost again. Preserved in digital goodness.

So A Tale of Two Soups. I have had a go at picking the best of both recipes. We are not big fans of onions stuck with cloves our soup bean mix. Gave those a miss and have put in some spuds instead.

Turn leftover ham bone into a comforting soup

Did you save your leftover Easter ham bone? Here are the soup recipes we promised to print this week. Turn your leftover ham bone into either of these two warm comforting soups.

BY THE VANCOUVER SUNMARCH 26, 2008

Did you save your leftover Easter ham bone? Here are the soup recipes we promised to print this week. Turn your leftover ham bone into either of these two warm comforting soups.

We can hear the groaning already — who has the time to make homemade soup? You’re right, it’s a time-consuming process but most of the time is accounted for by the soup pot sitting on the stove simmering, not by you actively preparing the ingredients.

To help ease the work schedule, we like to prepare the soup over two days. As soon as you get home from work, put the ham bone on the stove to simmer. Depending on how much time you have, let it simmer for anywhere from 3 to 4 hours — this long, slow simmering develops the wonderful flavour that forms the basic stock needed for these two classic robust soups. Just before packing it in for the night, cool the stock, then put it in the refrigerator. (After the pot has cooled slightly, we set it in a sink containing plenty of cold water to help cool the stock quickly.)

The next day, remove the congealed fat from the surface of the stock and discard the ham bone, then put the pot on the stove to start heating the stock while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Once the remaining ingredients have been added to the pot you can relax and have a cup of tea while the soup simmers. A few final touches and dinner is ready.

A bonus — serve some of the soup for supper and stash the rest away in the freezer for another weekday meal.

OLD-FASHIONED HAM AND VEGETABLE SOUP

This is the perfect soup to serve on chilly rainy days. All you need to complete the meal is warm crusty rolls or bread.

• 1 leftover ham bone (with a small amount of ham still attached to bone)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 16 cups (4 L) cold water
• 21/3 cups (575 mL) soup mix (a dry mixture of yellow and green split peas, red lentils, alphabet pasta, pot barley and rice)
• 11/2 teaspoons (7 mL) dried Italian seasoning
• 6 large carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced

1. Put ham bone, onion and bay leaves in large heavy pot. Add water. (The ham bone should be completely covered. If necessary, add a little more water.) Place over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 4 hours. Remove from stove, uncover and let cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, remove fat from surface of ham stock; discard fat. Remove ham bone from pot; set aside. Place pot of ham stock over high heat and bring to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, cut ham from bone; discard bone. Cut ham into bite-size pieces (we had about 2 cups/500mL); refrigerate until ready to add to soup.
4. When stock comes to a boil, add soup mix and Italian seasoning. Return to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add carrots and celery to soup. Increase heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until carrots and soup mix are tender, stirring occasionally.
6. Add ham and cook for 2 minutes or until ham is heated through. (If you prefer a thinner soup, add a little water until reaching desired consistency.)
7. Remove and discard bay leaves. (Make ahead: Chilled soup can be frozen in airtight container for up to 1 month.)

Makes about 12 servings.

Approximate nutritional analysis for each serving: 190 cal, 12 g pro, 2 g fat, 33 g carb. Excellent source of vitamin A, thiamine and folate. Very high in fibre. Low in fat.

TIP: A (450 g) bag of soup mix yields 21/3 cups (575 mL).

YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP

The trick to making the rich creamy texture typical of this classic soup is to cook the split peas until they dissolve and thicken the stock.

• 1 leftover ham bone (with a small amount of ham still attached to bone)
• 1 medium onion studded with 4 whole cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 16 cups (4 L) cold water
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) dry mustard
• 2 cups (500 mL) yellow split peas, picked clean of debris and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried thyme leaves
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 large leek, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) red wine vinegar
• Chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

1. Put ham bone, clove-studded onion and bay leaves in large heavy pot. Add water. (The ham bone should be completely covered. If necessary, add a little more water.) Place over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 4 hours. Remove from stove, uncover and let cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, remove fat from surface of ham stock; discard fat. Remove clove-studded onion and discard. Remove ham bone; set aside.
3. Transfer 1 tablespoon (15 mL) cold ham stock to small bowl. Add mustard and stir until dissolved. Add split peas, thyme and mustard mixture to ham stock. Place over high heat and bring to a boil.
4. Meanwhile, cut ham from bone; discard bone. Cut ham into bite-size pieces (we had about 2 cups/500mL); refrigerate until ready to add to soup.
5. When stock comes to a boil, add carrots, celery and leek. Return to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 75 minutes or until peas dissolve and thicken soup, stirring occasionally then more frequently as soup thickens.
6. Add ham and cook for 2 minutes or until ham is heated through. (If you prefer a thinner soup, add a little water until reaching desired consistency.) Stir in vinegar.
7. Remove and discard bay leaves. (Make ahead: Chilled soup can be frozen in airtight container for up to 1 month.)
8. Garnish each serving with parsley.

Makes 8 servings.

Approximate nutritional analysis for each serving: 262 cal, 21 g pro, 3 g fat, 40 g carb. Excellent source of vitamin A, thiamin and folate. Excellent source of magnesium and zinc. Very high in fibre. Low in fat.

TIP: To clean a leek, remove any withered outer leaves. Cut off and discard the green upper leaves down to the point where the dark green begins to pale. Trim off the root without disturbing the base. Halve lengthwise to within 11/2-inches (4 cm) of the base, keeping the stalk intact. Rinse under cold running water to remove any grit trapped between the leaf layers. Slice leek, discarding base end.