Love is What I Got...

and some leftover ham, and a day off....

Life is too short.
Take the day off.
Love the one you got.
Don't start a riot.
Make them soup instead.
It'll be sublime.


 I don't often get a day off, but when I do, I make soup (at least this day off I did). It turns out it was the perfect, comforting meal to end a crazy free day. But that, my friends, is another story. Believe me, this soup is really good and simple to make....just ask the officers who happened to be over while it was cooking. They even helped stir it.
 Ham and bean soup is definitely a plan-ahead project requiring a previous meal of ham, complete with a bone or being crafty enough to mooch a bone from a close friend or family. It takes time and love and leftovers. Rinse and soak your beans the night before, covering them with one inch of water. If you forgot to soak, there's many "quick soak" methods floating around on the internet. Use your favorite.
One more thing...I humbly suggest investing in good beans. Supermarket beans, although handy, may have been sitting....well for eons....and after a while you lose that joie de vivre. Fresh beans really do make that much of a difference. I tried it once and I'm a believer.

Confetti Ham and Bean Soup

1 lb Beans, soaked overnight
Leftover Ham and the Bone
Olive Oil
A Few stalks Celery and A Few Carrots, Chopped
1 Onion, Chopped
1 Clove of Garlic, Minced
2 Bay Leaves
A Few Sprigs of Thyme
2-32 oz Boxes Low Sodium Chicken Broth
Freshly Ground Pepper (and salt to taste)

Find some leftover ham and grab the ham bone too while you're at it.

Soak one pound of beans overnight. I used Good Mother Stallard from Rancho Gordo,  (they're so pretty...and tasty too) but use whatever your favorite bean may be.

Chop a few stalks of celery and some carrots. I had some heirloom carrots that (again) were so pretty, I had to try them. The colors do fade though with long cooking, so regular carrots work very well too.

Chop an onion.

Mince a couple cloves of garlic.

Saute the veggies in some olive oil for a few minutes, adding a couple bay leaves and maybe a few sprigs of thyme.

Add garlic and sauté for a minute.

Add your beans and the ham bone along with a couple of boxes (32 oz) Low sodium chicken broth.
Add enough water to cover everything by a couple inches.

Chop some leftover ham and add that to the pot too.

 

Simmer slowly for hours until the beans are soft and the aroma fills your house, stirring every once in a while. My husband likes ham and bean soup where the beans kind of dissipate and meld into the soup. I like mine as you see pictured. It's still thick and rich but each bean remains intact. If you like your soup more like my husband does, by all means, keep simmering or bring out your immersion blender.
Our ham was salty so all we added to the pot was a little freshly ground pepper.
Add more water or broth if you feel like you've lost too much liquid while it cooks.

Serve with some fresh bread and a glass of wine.

 

Mmmm

Eat well, my friends.

 

 

 

 

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