Monday, March 25, 2013

Leftover Remake: Ham and Bean Soup--No Salt Added + Slow Cooker option (Leftover Ham Week)

Leftover Remake: Ham and Bean Soup--No Salt Added + Slow Cooker option (Leftover Ham Week)

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/leftover-remake-ham-and-bean-soup-no.html
My spouse took this photo.  This flower that has sprouted in a seam between the tiles on the roof of the Believer's Palace in Baghdad, which was actually a decoy building to hide a bunker that was built underneath the palace.  On my FB page I've shared what it looked like just to the right of the photo.
Bloom where you are planted.
To me, this quote exemplifies the best of military spouses.  Due to our spouses' careers, we often find ourselves re-creating our lives every few years as we move across the globe.  So many military spouses I know are enthusiastic, energetic people genuinely interested in exploring what makes this new location different than the last home.

It was with this spirit of adventure that I joined the local military spouse group for a tour of Dorothy Lane Market.  DLM is an amazing grocery store less than one mile (according to Map My Walk) from my home.  You may know of Wegman's--the Northeast US chain of grocery stores known for amazing customer service, happy employees, and terrific products.  DLM is a 3 store midwestern version.  During our tour of DLM, the thing that struck me was how similar to my kitchen the store is run.
Stores, they're just like us.
I make no secret that I'm partial to marked down produce, day old bread, and discounted meat and dairy products.  I'd noticed that I never saw magical markdown stickers at DLM, and during the tour I learned why.  Primarily, most of the baked goods and dairy products are picked up by different shelters each day.  But the rest of the stuff?  Tom told us it gets made into soups for the hot foods area, into salads, and into prepared foods sold in the ready-to-eat section.  Have you ever looked at your fridge and thought, "well, I need to use up that half onion, that baked potato, that bit of chard, that ham . . ."?  Can you imagine having an entire produce section/meat department/dairy department at your disposal?  Wowza.

During our tour we went from the top of the store to the basement, checking out different departments along the way and enjoying samples--including amazing fresh mozzarella made by the very talented Tracey.  Wow, that on a pizza, with some cherry tomato pesto and CSA farm share spinach?  We checked out the kitchens--does anyone other than Hobart make commercial dishwashers?  I really appreciated the chance to peek behind the scenes of a place I shop at frequently--all because of a curious military spouse's initiative.  Thanks, Aileen!

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/leftover-remake-ham-and-bean-soup-no.html


When we moved in to our home, our neighbors welcomed us with a box of cookies and Killer Brownies® and I was just blown away.  Seriously amazing goodies.  I'd known that we could walk down to Graeter's ice cream before we moved in, but this DLM store was new to me.

I was delighted when my daughter went Christmas shopping at Dorothy Lane Market.  No, she did not give me a Killer Brownie.  Instead, she gave me a container of beans + a recipe for Heavenly Ham® Bean Soup.  Recently she helped me make the soup--and her interpretation of the seasonings turned it into a delicious soup without any additional salt (the ham is salty enough, we think).


http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/leftover-remake-ham-and-bean-soup-no.html



I used to buy the bags of Ham Been soup that contained such a pretty array of beans plus a seasoning packet.  I'd follow the recipe, using my leftover ham bone, and make a delicious soup.  Then I read the contents of that seasoning packet and resolved to make my soup without it, and it never really turned out right.  Something was just off.

I'm so glad I had my daughter help me make this recipe I'm sharing with you today.

There are 2 cool things about this recipe.  First, the recipe includes the amounts and kinds of dry beans*, so if I wanted to make up quart jars of my own pretty bean mix for gift giving I could.  Second, I got to use a jar of crushed tomatoes that I put up in the fall (which, come to think of it, would make a good pair of jars to give:  a jar of crushed tomatoes plus a jar of dried beans plus the recipe to use both to make soup).
*If you want to make your own pretty bean mix, here's what the recipe suggests:  1/2 cup (dry) each of lentils, split peas, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, navy beans, black beans, red kidney beans and lima beans.  Four cups total of mixed beans.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/leftover-remake-ham-and-bean-soup-no.html
Ignore the kale.  It was following the beans around like a puppy and would not get out of the shot.

Ham and Bean Soup (adapted from the Heavenly Ham® Bean Soup recipe)

4 cups mixed beans (described above) + water to cover for overnight soaking
1 meaty ham bone
2 large onions, diced small (about 2 cups)
3 quarts water
1 quart crushed tomatoes (or a 28 ounce can if you don't have any put up)
1 large bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large clove garlic, minced (about 1 Tablespoon)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced ginger
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Soak beans in water to cover overnight.  I started mine early, dithering over trying a quick soak to have soup for dinner or not, and a few of the smaller ones had actually started to sprout by the next morning!
Drain and rinse.
In a pretty purple pot place soaked beans, ham bone, and onions.  Pour 3 quarts of water over the top and slowly bring to a boil. Skim off the scum as it appears. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours.  Remove the ham bone, chop the meat when you can handle it, and return meat to the soup.
At this point I tossed the whole thing into the slow cooker and hollered for my daughter--she added the spices while I wrote down her amounts. 
Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until heated through, another 30 minutes on the stovetop or in the slow cooker on High for 2 hours/Low for 3-4 hours until ready to serve.

Slow Cooker Directions:  If I were wanting to make this soup while being gone from home all day, I'd do the following two day process:  on day one I'd throw the beans in the pot and cover with water while I was waiting for my morning tea to steep.  When I got home in the evening I'd drain and rinse the beans, add the water, ham, and onion, and let it sit on the stove and simmer for 2 hours during the evening.  Then I'd refrigerate the result and, in the morning of day two, toss it with the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker for the day (8 hours) on low. I'd love to try this, but my slow cooker is not big enough once I put the beans, onions, and ham bone in it there's barely any additional room for tomatoes and water.

This post is shared at The Clever Chicks Blog Hop at The Chicken Chick  Cookin' Canuck's Easter Recipe Link Upthe Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up at Gastronomical Sovereignty,  What's Cookin' Wednesday at Buns In My Oven, Taste and Tell ThursdayWhat's In The Box at In Her Chucks and the Farm Girl Blog Fest.

23 comments:

  1. I could have used this post three weeks ago. I made one of those bean soups with the seasoning packets. My mom gave it to me for a Christmas present and sadly I hate to make it without her. I decided to go full on crock pot right from the start and those beans (despite two days in the crock pot) never totally cooked all the way through. I also threw in a bunch of random veggies which are total mush now. The Hubby really likes it though so there's that.
    That would be pretty cool to see the inner workings of my grocery store. I love the idea leftovers get turned into soup.

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    Replies
    1. Meghan,
      Thank goodness for spouses who eat stuff even if it's not 100%. I don't want to encourage you to hack, but you'd've learned about bananas, and soup, and all sorts of stuff already. Now if you ask me "hey do you have a recipe for __" like Lee-Ann did, I'd copy and paste it for ya.
      I'm going to do a bag of black beans in the crock pot soon. That sounds like such a great way to cook beans.
      Why are you up so early?
      Thanks!

      Delete
    2. Must learn to hack. I will get on that, although I'm still coming to learn all your ways this summer. I want to put up tomatoes and god knows what else, but I want to be eating my CSA produce right now.

      P.S. I get up really early during the week (around 5 a.m.) but that's kind of crazy, even for me. You sure the time stamp on this thing is right.

      Delete
  2. Is your husband still deployed? I used to live near a Wegman's and it was one of my favorite stores!!!

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    Replies
    1. Alyssa,
      He took that photo during his second Iraq tour. I'd heard about Wegman's for years before one made it down to Virginia for me to try before I moved. I have a friend who works for them and is so glowing about them as an employer. Very cool to see behind the scenes in a grocery store.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  3. kirf-
    Amazing photo(s)! I've been following you and reading your recipes for a while now. You are so domestic! I am trying your celery sprouting idea. What do you do with it once it grows roots? Will it grow outdoors?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See, I consider domesticity as equaling a clean house, so as you well know I feel utterly un-domestic. But thanks for thinking that I am something I am not. I do make tasty food, though, I think. The celery (which is now happily each in its own thrift store jelly jar) will get moved out into the garden, into one of the raised beds (I've got 5, one has perennial herbs, one has garlic, the other 3 are un-bespoke--love that word). But right now there's 5 inches of snow on those beds, so . . . wait, my dad planted one bed with spinach, arugula, and snap peas before the snow (I know!) so the celery will move into another one. The plan is for it to grow outdoors, though I don't know if all 7 plants will make it (I'll harden them off before moving, and not move until after last frost). Then the composting pigs will enjoy celery leaves with reckless abandon. Thanks! L&K(HG!)

      Delete
  4. This soup looks really good Kirsten -I am a big fan of bean soups, and especially ones with mixed beans in them. So good!

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    Replies
    1. Donalyn,
      I'm just a soup fan in general, though I'm looking forward to Spring and salad weather.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  5. I don't know how military spouses do it, but bravo to you all...you are much stronger than I.

    Bean soups are a favorite around here, but I've never added ham to it!! Now there's an idea! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kate,
      You never know how strong you are until you're tested. What's the saying? Something about tea bags and hot water, but I chronically forget either the hot water or the tea bag when making my morning cup of tea so don't ask me what the saying really should be.

      Try ham in your bean soup--it's delicious.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  6. This soup looks great - tasty and comforting. I love ham and beans together. It reminds me of soup my mom made when I was a kid.

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    Replies
    1. Amy,
      Thanks!
      I'm still craving the spinach and mushroom side my mom made when I was a kid. I didn't much care for it then, but now . . .

      Delete
  7. Pretty, pretty beans! My brother and sister-in-law are vegetarians. Do you think you could make this without the ham bone, or is it integral to the recipe? I would love to give them a jar of beans and a jar of tomatoes next year for Christmas. Of course, that means I have to can some tomatoes. :)
    Sarah

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    Replies
    1. Sarah,
      You sure could give them a jar of beans and a jar of your home-canned tomatoes. I'd just find a recipe that calls for a flavorful vegetable stock (I think Lauren at Gourmet Veggie Mama has one) to provide the flavor that will be absent due to the ham bone/ham. I've used Penzey's vegetable soup base also with tasty results, too.
      Making a vegetable stock is on my list of things to accomplish this year.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  8. Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week; I hope you’ll join us again!


    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino

    The Chicken Chick

    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy,
      I'm looking forward to hopping with you again next week.
      Thanks for hosting!

      Delete
  9. My soul is comforted! Thank you for sharing and linking up. Now, can I get a bowl for myself?

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    1. Heather,
      Alas, not even the quart we froze for later is left--all done (making the hand sign for all done).
      But I am glad your soul is doing fine.

      Thanks for hosting!

      Delete
  10. What a lovely picture and your soup looks tasty too! Love your blog! :) -Kloe

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    Replies
    1. Kloe,
      Why thank you! I've got a ham bone in the freezer and I keep debating if I want to save it until Fall or try some sort of warm weather bean concoction . . . jury is still out.
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  11. I'm so intrigued by the military life, Kirsten- It's something I've seen on TV often here in Australia!

    Now as for this soup- I LOVE ham and pea soup (because it's so salty....oops) and I love how you've provided a no added salt version. It will help me in reducing sodium!

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  12. I have never made a ham, and therefore never have ham bones around, begging to be put into soup. But like you, I have vegetables in my refrigerator that do call out to me - and beans aplenty in my pantry. So I might just have to go out and buy a bit of ham to make this soup - or a warm weather gazpacho version:)

    ReplyDelete