Learning To Use What You Have
Ham and Bean soup is as delicious as it is simple. A handful of ingredients come together to create a delicious meal that only ask for a handful of hours to simmer away on the stove. However, this recipe is more about a mindset than it is any particular ingredients. One day last week my wife and I asked our son what he wanted for dinner, and he promptly responded “Ham!” Knowing we have the better part of a pig in the freezer, there was no concern that his request would be difficult to fill. Upon inspection we realized that there are currently no slices of ham, only an entire ham (large enough for a large Holiday feast) lurking in the back of the freezer. This momentarily presented some hesitation. What do we do with an entire defrosted ham? While I enjoy ham, having it at every meal for an entire week seemed daunting to say the least. But, we pushed forward with the plan. We defrosted the ham, and I cut as many slices from the bone as I could. I vacuum sealed most of it to freeze for later use, leaving enough out for dinner and maybe a breakfast or two. I also saved the bone. This is where I believe it is important to have the mindset in the kitchen of using as many parts of your ingredients as possible. What many may consider scraps, or trash can easily be used in ways that allow you to get a lot of mileage out of the food in your fridge, freezer, or pantry. For example vegetable peels/scraps, mushroom stems, and bones can be combined to create a rich and flavorful stock for soups and stews. A little forethought can go a long way, and so can your ingredients. When I saw the ham bone with scraps of meat hanging from it, I thought of the beans we had in the pantry and knew soup was in our near future. This soup could easily be Beef and Vegetable, or Chicken Noodle, depending on what you have on hand. I believe this thought process is more important now than ever, when we are being asked to limit trips to the store. Learning to use what you have on hand, and knowing that you have nearly endless options with the food you have in your house is a great feeling. It allows you to transform humble ingredients into special meals that you can share with your family. So take a look around and see what kind of special meal you have hiding in your kitchen.
The Ingredients
2 Cans Cannellini Beans, Or A Similar Variety, Drained And Rinsed
1 Ham Bone From A Bone-In Ham
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Onion, Chopped
3 Carrots, Peeled And Sliced
2 Celery Stalks, Sliced
5 Garlic Cloves, Finely Chopped
2 Bay Leaves
7 Cups Water, Plus More As Needed
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Serves: 4 to 6
Preparing The Meal
Begin by heating the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat, until shimmering. Then add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute more. Add the ham bone and bay leaves to the pot, and add enough water to cover the bone. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally. As the soup cooks you may need to add more water to keep the bone covered.
About an hour before serving, remove the bone from the pot, and shred all of the meat from the bone. Add the meat back to the pot along with the beans. At this point make sure to taste the soup, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, ladle soup into bowls and serve with fresh baked bread.