Ham Bone, Greens and Bean Soup

They ate and danced and sang well into the night, refreshed by the feast and their new-found friends. In the morning the three soldiers awoke to find the entire village standing before them. At their feet lay a satchel of the village's best breads and cheese. "You have given us the greatest of gifts: the secret of how to make soup from stones", said an elder, "and we shall never forget." The third soldier turned to the crowd, and said: "There is no secret, but this is certain: it is only by sharing that we may make a feast". And off the soldiers wandered, down the road.  - Stone Soup Inspiring Story

 

We tried another soup. I always have left over Ham bones but just hadn't found a really good recipe that I liked well enough to serve on a regular basis. This one passed the Kiddos taste tester. They ate a lot of it!  My Mom didn't really like it but she isn't fond of bean soup really but she said my Dad would enjoy it alot.  We will see what Beloved thinks about it when he gets back from his business trip.  It is chunky soup like he enjoys so maybe I have found another soup recipe that I won't mind serving up. Regardless, it felt good to my throat. (sneeze! cough!)  


Ham Bone, Greens, and Bean Soup
The recipe and picture comes from HERE

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 cup dried pinto beans
4 strips bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, trimmed and diced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 ham bone (1 1/4 pounds), cut into half or thirds (ask your butcher to do this for you)
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus additional to taste
1/2 head green cabbage, shredded (about 8 cups)
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped into bite-sized pieces
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Hot sauce or cider vinegar, for serving

1. Soak the beans in plenty of cold water overnight. If you don't have that much time, you can use the quick soak method: In a large pot, bring the beans and plenty of cold water to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain the beans.
2. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and save for garnishing the soup. Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the bacon fat in the pan. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
3. Drop in the ham bone and bay leaf into the pot and add 8 cups water and 2 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat; add beans, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in the kale and simmer until the kale is soft, but still vibrantly green, about 15 minutes. If you're like me, you'll want to remove the meat and delicious fatty bits from the ham bone, chop them up, and stir them back into the soup. Season with pepper, a dash of hot sauce or vinegar, and more salt, if needed. Crumble the reserved bacon on top.


* I did not use Kale. I didn't have any on hand but I did use the cabbage.
I also added 4 Tbsp of apple cidar vinegar for a kick.