Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: Ham and bean soup

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Ham and Bean Soup #Recipe @PegCochran

This is the perfect soup for a cozy winter dinner! I've never used ham hocks before, and I was a little skeptical, but they added wonderful flavor to the soup. They did not, on the other hand, provide any real meat. But the soup didn't need it--it was perfectly filling as it was.

If you do use ham hocks in your soup, according to the directions I read, you need to clean them first. Why? I have no idea but I followed the instructions: scrub the ham hocks, put them in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, boil for one minute and then remove. Rinse thoroughly with cold water.

Ingredients:
1 lb. navy or great Northern beans
1 or 2 ham hocks (approximately one pound)
2 carrots, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
olive oil
6 cups water or combination of water and chicken stock
bundle of parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare ham hocks.

Rinse beans in colander under running water. Remove any pebbles or debris.

Saute onion and carrots in a bit of olive oil until they begin to soften.

Add beans, ham hocks, water and/or chicken broth (I used half of each), the bundle of parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste (I prefer to salt after cooking and tasting.)

Cover and simmer for approximately two hours or until beans are tender.

To cook in slow cooker: add to slow cooker and cook on low for approximately 8 hours until the beans are tender.

If a thicker soup is desired, remove about one cup of beans and mash or puree with blender or food processor and return to pan. Stir well and enjoy!