Ham & Bean Soup

This recipe is an old family recipe.

It's from the hub's grandfather, who I hear was a great cook.

It's too bad the hubs didn't inherit that gene...lol 

But... he taught him lots of other great stuff.. so I can't complain!

I finally got the recipe for this yummy soup and now I make it at least once a year.

There is only one problem.....

There has to be a little forethought with this dish.

It takes a little bit of time...and

Because it requires a ham bone, you need to have one handy.

And, well... if you haven't cooked a ham recently, it's not likely you have a ham bone just hanging around.

I am not sure if you can buy one from a butcher... I've never tried.

I just usually freeze the ham bone from Chirstmas or Easter dinner and use that.

Anway, I love this recipe... please don't freak out that there's bacon grease in it.

Remember it's an OLD recipe and bacon fat was a pretty common ingredient.

It also happens to be the key ingredient and makes it taste AWESOME!

You can try to cut it out of the recipe, but I promise that the bacon grease is what really makes the flavor POP!

I didn't take near as many pictures as I normally do... I have no excuse except that I forgot.  It happens!

Anyway, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 Ham bone, with some ham still on it
8 C Potatoes, diced ( I use redskin)
3 C Carrots, diced
1 1/2 C Celery, diced
1 Jar (48oz) Northern beans
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
Reserve bacon grease for later use
1 packet Lipton dry onion soup mix
2-4 Tbs flour
*Balsamic vinegar (optional topping)

Directions:
Place ham bone in large stock pot
Fill with water, just covering top of bone
Boil until meat falls off bone (aprox. 2-hours)
Add water when necessary so that bone is always covered with water
When meat has fallen off the bone, take bone out of water to cool
Pull any remaining meat off bone and place back in broth
(after this step you can place the pot of "broth" in the fridge so the fat solidifies and you can skim it off later, or you can keep going)

This is the fat the solidified on top after refridgerating overnight... ewww!

Dice up all your veggies

Add potatoes & carrots
After about 10 minutes, add celery
Cook until veggies are tender (about 30 min)

Add Onion soup mix
Add northern beans
In a seperate pan, fry bacon until crisp
When bacon is done set aside to cool
While bacon grease is still quite hot, add 2 Tbs flour to it mixing quickly with a whisk to make a paste.

 
If it's too runny, slowly add more flour unitl it's a paste.
This is what will make your soup thick.
Make sure soup is boiling and slowly add the bacon grease paste to the soup, mixing as you pour
Add bacon crumbles
Cook for 10 minutes and soup is done. 
Adding a splash of balsamic on top of each bowl  is great... but optional.

***Review:
Because this is a family recipe we've been eating for years, it's easy to guess that we love this.  I fully expected the kids to hate it though (even though they love ham).  Only one child refused to eat it.  It happens to be the same child that never eats any of my meals...lol  So, I'm not too worried.  Otherwise the kids liked it.... but they didn't love it. 
However, to even out our bias, I sent a bowl over to my taste tester/neighbor and she loved it.  So, I guess that means it's good!

**Tips:
I make this recipe in 2 parts (meaning 2 days) I place the ham broth in the fridge after it's done boiling so I can skim off the fat.  I mean, if I'm already eating bacon grease, the least I can do do is take out what fat I can right?  So, I cook the bone one day, place the pot in the fridge overnight, skim the fat and then start the rest of it.  I also let it cook a while too (after it's "done")... I prefer it being cooked longer.  And honestly, it's the best on the second day. 
I know it's not the easiest recipe in the world and there are a ton of steps...I don't usually cook this way... but it's totally worth it.
 Also, you can add less or more of the veggies too.  I used what I already had on hand but you can put in as much or as little as you like.
One last tip... this is great to freeze.  This recipe makes a lot... so we eat it for a few days and then freeze it in individual servings so we can eat it for lunch here and there.  It tastes great re heated!

Serving it:
Adding a splash of balsamic vinegar to each bowl is awesome. It gives it a little bit of a different flavor and I absoultely love it. 
We serve this with saltine crackers and maybe some good italian or french bread! MMMMM!
Can't wait to go have another bowl!


Printer Friendly Recipe:

Ham & Bean Soup

Ingredients:
1 Ham bone, with some ham still on it
8 C Potatoes, diced ( I use redskin)
3 C Carrots, diced
1 1/2 C Celery, diced
1 Jar (48oz) Northern beans
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
Reserve bacon grease for later use
1 packet Lipton dry onion soup mix
2-4 Tbs flour
*Balsamic vinegar (optional topping)

Directions:
Ingredients:
1 Ham bone, with some ham still on it
8 C Potatoes, diced ( I use redskin)
3 C Carrots, diced
1 1/2 C Celery, diced
1 Jar (48oz) Northern beans
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
Reserve bacon grease for later use
1 packet Lipton dry onion soup mix
2-4 Tbs flour
*Balsamic vinegar (optional topping)

Directions:
Place ham bone in large stock pot
Fill with water, just covering top of bone
Boil until meat falls off bone (aprox.2-hours)
Add water when necessary so that bone is always covered with water
When meat has fallen off  the bone, take bone out of water to cool
Pull any remaining meat off bone and place back in broth
(after this step you can place the pot of "broth" in the fridge so the fat solidifies and you can skim it off later, or you can keep going)
Dice up all your veggies
Add potatoes & carrots
After about 10 minutes, add celery
Cook until veggies are tender (about 30 min)
Add Onion soup mix
Add northern beans
In a seperate pan, fry bacon until crisp
When bacon is done set aside to cool
While bacon grease is still quite hot, add 2 Tbs flour to it mixing quickly with a whisk to make a paste. 
If it's too runny, slowly add more flour unitl it's a paste.
This is what will make your soup thick.
Make sure soup is boiling and slowly add the bacon grease paste to the soup, mixing as you pour
Add bacon crumbles
Cook for 10 minutes and soup is done. 
Adding a splash of balsamic on top of each bowl  is great... but optional.