Mom's Ham and Bean Soup recipe

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I've lazied up this recipe over the years. My changes:

No roux. To make the soup a little thicker, I mash some of the beans against the side of the pot during the last half-hour of cooking.

Once you fry the bacon and remove for adding back later, I use the bacon fat to saute the chopped onion and carrots. I found that too much bacon fat (yes, that can happen) and raw onions were giving me indigestion. I think the end result tastes nicer, too.

I forgot the potatoes this last time. Didn't miss them. Well, that's one less thing to chop next time! :LOL:

I also didn't have a leftover ham bone this time. I bought ham ends from my local butcher - about $1 a pound! No bone to cut around=faster time and more ham. LOTS more ham. :yum:
 
Cooking Goddess said:
I've lazied up this recipe over the years. My changes:

No roux. To make the soup a little thicker, I mash some of the beans against the side of the pot during the last half-hour of cooking.

Once you fry the bacon and remove for adding back later, I use the bacon fat to saute the chopped onion and carrots. I found that too much bacon fat (yes, that can happen) and raw onions were giving me indigestion. I think the end result tastes nicer, too.

I forgot the potatoes this last time. Didn't miss them. Well, that's one less thing to chop next time! :LOL:

I also didn't have a leftover ham bone this time. I bought ham ends from my local butcher - about $1 a pound! No bone to cut around=faster time and more ham. LOTS more ham. :yum:
Click to expand...

When I am making pea soup, I will buy smoked ham hocks. A lot cheaper than buying a whole ham, and I find that they have a more intense smoky flavor. A ham is just too much meat for both Pirate and myself. On the rare occasions I do buy a small ham, I cut off all the meat after the first meal, divide the cutoffs into small packets for future use for sandwiches or even breakfast.
 
With a prediction of 18" of snow for tomorrow, I'm storm prepping the best I know how.

IMG_20220128_185739763_HDR.jpg
 
Cooking Goddess said:
With a prediction of 18" of snow for tomorrow, I'm storm prepping the best I know how.

View attachment 50860
Click to expand...


Nice pic. Very home'y looking.

What do you do with just 1 carrot shaving?
j/k.

The last time that I made soup with ham in it, I bought one of those big ham steaks. It had a small, round slice of marrow filled bone in the center, so there was that. And the "steak" got cubed for the soup. Good and hammy.

I think I'll make soup tomorrow. We're only supposed to get 3 or 4" of snow, but it hasn't been above 25° F for weeks. I'll have to see if my family wants ham and bean soup. I'll use your recipe if so, CG. I have a ham steak in the garage fridge right now. No bacon, but I have a hunk of salt pork.
 
I hope none of you get too snowed in (or out), and especially, I hope your power stays on! Stay safe everyone!

Here, it is "only" predicted to get to 6-9". I am also planning on making some soup tomorrow.

 
larry, Boston could get two feet or more, not to mention high winds. All I ask is that the electricity stays on.

bt, I think I buy ham just for the bone sometimes. But if I want soup but not a whole ham, I'll run up to the butcher shop we get our steaks at. He sells ham ends for about two bucks a pound. Good and meaty, nice and smoky. Makes a great pot of soup.

BTW, the bacon really adds the perfect touch. I'm sure it will still be okay without it.

One last thing: I no longer make the roux. I just use my potato masher and crush some of the beans until it's thick enough. Much easier. Still tasty.
 
Ross, this is my Mom's recipe. I grew up eating it every winter. It's a little more work than using a bag of Ham 'n Beans 15-bean soup mix, but so much better.
 
but so much better . . .



I do homemade vegetable / beef&vegetable / chicken noodle / beanswithlotsastuff / etc soups.


they are enormously more flavorful and 'better' than any of the canned stuff.
there's something about sitting around in a can for months to years that just doesn't work well....
 
I wast too busy to make soup today, but a few months ago, I had a " soup sampler" sent to me. I think it was 12 different types of soup. I had a few and through the rest in the freezer ( for days like today).

ll be honest, I didnt really like the first few soups I tasted , which is why there are still a bunch in the freezer, but we are likely getting a new, bigger freezer for the garage, so we want to eat it down a bit.

I came across a Mint/ split pea soup. I was skeptical at first, but Ill be honest, the mint really works well In the soup. Glad I got one that a I enjoyed for today, It was desperately needed ( spent 2 1/2 hours outside shoveling somewhere be tween 1 - 3 feet of snow, depending on the drifts).

Hope everyone enjoyed their soup.
 
Mint and peas is and English thing (spit to the side).

Yeah, it's good. I'll give them that.

Bastards.
 
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I made my soup today, starting last night, by soaking some beans. I usually don't soak, but I was using some old batches - about 6 oz each of red beans and black eyed peas (the old ones), to empty out the jars. Then I put about 6 oz of Navy beans, and set them to soak. This afternoon I drained them, then put them in the IP, covered with water, and pressure cooked just 1 minute, then let the pressure release naturally, while getting the ham, onions, and everything else prepped. First, I cooked the 24 oz of diced ham in my largest cast iron Dutch oven, and got a great amount of fond. The ham was removed, and onion and carrots added, and cooked about 10 min (this is one of those smells I love having in my house!), then added the garlic, rosemary, sage, and a couple tb of tomato paste, and cooked about 2 min., then added water, to dissolve the fond.

Then I drained and rinsed the beans, returned to the Instant Pot, added about 1/3 of the ham, and the Dutch oven liquid, plus a little more water, and some salt. Brought to a boil, then put in slow cook mode, and set to cook.

This was my lucky day! About the time I was finishing this, my doorbell rang, and it was a couple of young kids, offering to clear my snow! I was shocked, this happened long ago, but not in recent years - most kids are just lazy! This is why I set the soup in the slow cook - I was going to have to go out and do this.

After 2 hours cooking, I checked the soup, and added about 3/4 c red lentils, to thicken it some, which works great, plus the rest of the ham. Also, it needed more smoke flavor, and as I was standing there thinking this, I saw my jar of chipotle flakes sitting there, and the lights went on! So I put about 2 tsp of them in there, and after another hour, it was just the right thickness, and flavor. I also made a few corn muffins, to eat with it - just a half recipe.
4 bean soup, with ham and a couple of potatoes in it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Corn muffins - should have made 5, so they would have been a little larger. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
 
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Cooking Goddess said:
With a prediction of 18" of snow for tomorrow, I'm storm prepping the best I know how.

View attachment 50860
Click to expand...


Beautiful photo CG. I am having cataract surgery this Friday and have been mulling over what meals I can have in the frig for when I get back home. Just checked the freezer but no ham bone:( So will hit the store and pick up one soon. Nothing better than cornbread and beans. And I will but bacon it it, never heard of that addition.
 
Good luck with your cataract surgery, beth. Himself had each eye done back in August of 2020 and has been seeing clearly ever since.

About the soup: Mom used to put so much bacon in it that she called it bean and bacon soup. Lots of ham, too, but LOTS of bacon. Thanks for the compliment on the photo.
 
Be sure to have your eyes checked frequently after the cataract surgery, and use the eyedrops to prevent swelling of the retina. I didn't faithfully follow my regimen, and now have permanent retina swelling, which really messes up what could have been exceptional eyesight after having cataracts removed.

I hope you have a great experience with your sight. Learn from my mistakes.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
[B said:
Cooking Goddess[/B];1672374]Ross, this is my Mom's recipe. I grew up eating it every winter. It's a little more work than using a bag of Ham 'n Beans 15-bean soup mix, but so much better.
Click to expand...

Picked up the ingredients yesterday.

We will catch a bit of the predicted storms this week and bean soup is on the menu. :yum:

Ross
 
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