Ham and Bean Soup

I am a big fan of trying to use leftovers whenever possible.  Perhaps that's why from a culinary sense I look at the 30's and 40's romantically.  While I know it was a challenge to get food during these times, how creative the cooks of this era had to be to stretch that food budget and still make healthy and great tasting food.  So with that inspiration here is a great soup to make in the crock pot with either a left over ham bone or a ham hock.  With a little preparation the night before, this can be an easy weeknight meal as well.  The aromas that fill the house are amazing when you come in from a long day of work.  The following is the very simple ingredient list:

12oz to 16oz of dried great northern or some other white beans
Water
Ham Bone or Ham Hock with meat still on bones
2 or 3 celery stalks chopped

One medium onion chopped
1 to 2 cloves of garlic crushed and then minced
One Bay Leaf
Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
More Water

The night before rinse your beans removing any discolored ones.  Place beans in a large bowl and fill with water.  Let them soak over night.  A trick when using the dried beans, try and drain and replace the water at least once during this process.  This allows extra gasses to escape the beans and your housemates will probably thank you later.  Now you can use canned beans for this recipe but I like the taste of the dried beans.  As the dried beans cook with the ham they absorb all the wonderful flavors from the meat.  If you are using canned beans, I don't think they absorb those flavors as much because they are pretty much cooked when they get canned.  


After soaking over night the beans should have doubled if not tripled in size.  Drain the beans.  Cut up the celery and onions.  Crush and mince the garlic.  If you haven't done this before, follow the pictures link to my post on this.

Place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker or crockpot.  Be sure to put in some salt and pepper to taste.  Depending on the kind of ham you got, you may not need too much salt.  With the ham I used, I put in about a teaspoon of salt.  You can always add salt later but if you put too much in now it will be harder to adjust the taste.  Fill the crock pot with enough water to cover most of the ham bone.

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3 hours.  Check the flavor and the doneness of the beans.  The beans should be soft and burst with wonderful taste.  You can add more salt or pepper if needed.  Remove the bay leaf before serving.

If you want to try and increase your vegetables in this meal you could add some organic spinach or kale at the end of the cooking time for about 10 minutes.  This will give the soup some added punch in the nutrient category!



I am a big advocate of letting your nose and tongue decide when a dish is done.  If it smells good and tastes great, then your food is probably done.  If you just follow a recipe and then serve it before tasting, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.  Also, when getting your vegetables together, try and use the freshest one available.  In this case, get organic celery.  The amount of pesticides they put in conventional celery is scary.  The onion and garlic does not have to be organic, pests don't really enjoy these vegetables.


The soup is best served with a good crusty bread like a baguette or campagne loaf from Le Petite Outre.  Leftovers make an easy and great lunch.  Also, you can freeze the leftovers for an even quicker meal sometime in the future.