Wednesday Recipe

Well, there seemed to be a bit of confusion on yesterday's posts [please see two previous] as one of my tadpoles thought I posted the pic' of bean soup as some kind of joke to replicate our dog's misfortune. Not true, but in hindsight it is completely hysterical because, yep!, that pretty much represents what ended up on the couch, the Dad and the blanket.

Not much of a promise for today's recipe, but?

Without further detail, I will provide the easiest recipe to one of our family's most favorite soups. With Easter fast approaching this soup is a perfect use for the leftover bits of meat and the bone from the spiral sliced hams everyone is going to be consuming. Enjoy.

Ham and Bean Soup

1 Ham bone from a spiral or bone in ham shank [cleaned, but a little meat still attached is okay]

1 cup diced ham***

1 lb. dry navy beans

4 stalks of celery, diced

1/2 onion, diced

pepper to taste

water

[Please note I have a 6 qt. crockpot. I don't know if it needs to be adjusted for a smaller one.]

1. 
   
   Rinse and clean beans. Place in a large pot, covered with water. Bring to a boil and boil for two minutes.


2. 
   
   Turn off heat. Cover and let sit for two hours. [You may also use the overnight method.]


3. 
   
   Drain beans. Place ham bone in crockpot. Pour in vegetables. Pour in drained beans.


4. 
   
   Fill crockpot with water within two inches of the lip. The bone won't be covered but the veggies/beans will float!


5. 
   
   Sprinkle liberally with pepper. Go to town. Lots of pepper. I usually make 2 or 3 passes.


6. 
   
   Cover. Turn to high and cook for 4-5 hours or until the water is completely absorbed.


7. 
   
   Remove ham bone. Let cool. Take any meat off the bone and add along with your diced ham back into the crockpot. [Honestly I can never get all the ham off the bone so I usually just use what is on it for the soup and don't worry about an extra cup. If you like it hammier - then use the cup of diced ham***]


8. 
   
   While the lid is still off use a wood spoon to gently stir the ham in and mash some of the beans against the side of the crockpot to give it a thicker consistency.


9. 
   
   Let it heat through [about 1/2 hour]

Serve with crescent rolls [my next post!] and enjoy. Great reheated.