Many of us are going to make a ham for our Easter dinner. Before you throw out that ham bone, I have a suggestion. Why waste all that flavor when you can use it to make a great soup? My Delicious Ham Bone Soup is an excellent way to get more of that ham while giving you another very tasty light meal.
This is a hearty soup with beans, potatoes, celery, onions, garlic, carrots and just a few herbs that go wonderfully together. Feel free to throw in bits of some leftover ham, if you so desire.
Here is a tip that I want to pass on. Add the salt when you are cooking dried beans when they are nearly done to help keep them softer. Otherwise, your beans will be hard.
I just hope you try my recipe because it is very good and helps stretch your budget further!
My Delicious Ham Bone Soup
2 cups of dried navy beans
2 whole cloves
1 meaty ham bone
1 cup of cubed potatoes
1 cup of chopped celery
1 cup of finely chopped onion
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 cup of cubed carrots
1 bay leaf
2-1/2 quarts of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
Cook the beans in the 2-1/2 quarts of water for about two or three minutes before taking them off of the heat. Now you will let this stand covered for about one hour.
Next, add the ham bone and any small chopped pieces of that leftover ham you need to get rid of along with garlic, cloves, and bay leaf to the beans and water. Keep this covered and simmer for about two hours or until the beans are almost tender.
Now add the rest of the vegetables, salt, and pepper and simmer an additional one hour.
Remove the ham bone and cut off the meat, which you can throw back into the soup before pitching that bone.
Reheat to almost boiling and be sure to remove the bay leaf before serving.
ENJOY!
Showing posts with label ham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ham. Show all posts
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Do You Want a Tasty Solution to Use That Leftover Easter Ham and Turkey?
If you're tired of those same ways to finish off that leftover ham or turkey still sitting in your refrigerator, then I two delicious recipes to share that will help you solve your problem. This first recipe is a simple hearty casserole with a combination of seasonings that will elevate it into an elegant Cajun main dish.
The second recipe is geared toward getting rid of your ham and will transform those leftovers into a new oven casserole with kielbassa and beans that is so amazing with a lightly seasoned tomato sauce that you will not recognize it. After you make this, you will look forward to leftover ham and welcome the opportunity to have this dish again.
So don't get disgusted with those leftovers because you will be pleasantly surprised once you try these recipes for yourself.
My Cajun Surprise
1-1/2 cups of diced cooked ham
1 cup of chopped onion (1 large)
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of salt
1 can of tomato sauce (15 ounces)
3 cups of chopped cooked turkey or chicken
1/2 cup uncooked rice (regular variety)
2 tablespoons of minced parsley
2 tablespoons of canola or olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon of Worchestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of sugar
Brown your onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic in a large skillet in the oil until onion is golden brown and then stir in your ham. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover; simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rice cooks and the flavors are well combined.
My Favorite French Oven Stew
4 cups of water
1 lb. of dried Great Northern or Navy Beans (2-1/2 cups)
4 carrots, sliced
2 medium onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, fined diced
2 bay leaves
1 can of tomato sauce (15 ounce size)
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
3 cups of leftover ham pieces, chopped
1 lb. (or less) kielbassa, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons of canola oil or olive oil
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
Heat water and beans (that you soaked overnight) to boiling in your Dutch oven or large pot; boil about two minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand one hour. Add enough water to the cover beans if needed. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until almost tender about 1-1/2 hours. (Be sure not to boil or your beans will burst now). Drain.
Brown your onion and other chopped vegetables in the oil till golden brown and your chopped kielbassa pieces until the vegetables are tender. Take this off of the heat and stir in the flour to coat everything.
In a large Dutch oven or 4-quart casserole, place this cooked mixture and all the remaining ingredients together. Cover and cook at 325 degree oven for about an hour. Remove the cover and cook an additional 30 minutes more.
The second recipe is geared toward getting rid of your ham and will transform those leftovers into a new oven casserole with kielbassa and beans that is so amazing with a lightly seasoned tomato sauce that you will not recognize it. After you make this, you will look forward to leftover ham and welcome the opportunity to have this dish again.
So don't get disgusted with those leftovers because you will be pleasantly surprised once you try these recipes for yourself.
My Cajun Surprise
1-1/2 cups of diced cooked ham
1 cup of chopped onion (1 large)
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of salt
1 can of tomato sauce (15 ounces)
3 cups of chopped cooked turkey or chicken
1/2 cup uncooked rice (regular variety)
2 tablespoons of minced parsley
2 tablespoons of canola or olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon of Worchestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of sugar
Brown your onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic in a large skillet in the oil until onion is golden brown and then stir in your ham. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover; simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rice cooks and the flavors are well combined.
My Favorite French Oven Stew
4 cups of water
1 lb. of dried Great Northern or Navy Beans (2-1/2 cups)
4 carrots, sliced
2 medium onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, fined diced
2 bay leaves
1 can of tomato sauce (15 ounce size)
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
3 cups of leftover ham pieces, chopped
1 lb. (or less) kielbassa, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons of canola oil or olive oil
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
Heat water and beans (that you soaked overnight) to boiling in your Dutch oven or large pot; boil about two minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand one hour. Add enough water to the cover beans if needed. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until almost tender about 1-1/2 hours. (Be sure not to boil or your beans will burst now). Drain.
Brown your onion and other chopped vegetables in the oil till golden brown and your chopped kielbassa pieces until the vegetables are tender. Take this off of the heat and stir in the flour to coat everything.
In a large Dutch oven or 4-quart casserole, place this cooked mixture and all the remaining ingredients together. Cover and cook at 325 degree oven for about an hour. Remove the cover and cook an additional 30 minutes more.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Get More Mileage Out of Your Meals With Ham!
Easter is usually the best time to get ham on sale. If you want to save money, you can do what I do. Either buy an extra ham if you're having lots of company to feed or get a ham sliced into one-inch thick slices to make soup and then casseroles. The butcher can even slice part of a whole ham into one-inch slices and leave half for your holiday dinner.
Whatever way you decide, you will love how easy it is to pull a slice of ham out of your freezer when the urge for soup or just a slice of ham as the entree for dinner calls to you. This soup is a light meal in itself with enough vegetables, a few varieties of beans, ham, and noodles or rice depending on your mood.
When my soup is finished cooking, I like to remove all fat and cut the ham into pieces for another meal. This way is how I can get double duty out of the ham. I can flavor my soup while feeding my family another meal out of it through anything from casseroles to ham-stuffed crepes.
However, I never eat homemade soup on the first day I make it. I always put it in the refrigerator so that the grease hardens and can be scrapped off the next day. After all, why waste calories eating artery-clogging grease when you can save those calories on things that taste good? Surprisingly though, ham soup cooked this way doesn't seem to have all that much fat to skim off compared to chicken or beef soup, which attracts it like a magnet.
If you have cabbage on hand, you can clean and chop some up for this soup. The more cabbage you add, the sweeter your soup will become. Try putting about one-fourth of a medium size cabbage in your soup for a nice change.
My Favorite Ham-Bean Soup--Nuts Style!
12 cups of water
1 ham slice (one-inch thick)
4 carrots, peeled, cleaned and sliced
1 medium onion (about 1/2 cup chopped)
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped into pieces
2 stalks of celery, chopped into pieces
1 cup Northern Beans, (sorted for stones and soaked overnight first)
1/2 cup lentils or 1/2 cup dried split peas (don't have to soak overnight)
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons of salt (add more or less depending on your taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 of a medium cabbage, clean and chopped (optional)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of flour
Brown your chopped onions and garlic in the olive oil until golden brown. Set aside from the heat to stir in the flour to coat. Return to the heat and add the rest of the ingredients with the water. Cook until the beans are soft. Add some cooked noodles, rice, or even dumplings for a change.
The ham can be used for another meal. If you like, you can take it apart and throw the pieces back in your soup. However, I always make another dinner like pot pies, crepes, or another casserole.
Whatever way you decide, you will love how easy it is to pull a slice of ham out of your freezer when the urge for soup or just a slice of ham as the entree for dinner calls to you. This soup is a light meal in itself with enough vegetables, a few varieties of beans, ham, and noodles or rice depending on your mood.
When my soup is finished cooking, I like to remove all fat and cut the ham into pieces for another meal. This way is how I can get double duty out of the ham. I can flavor my soup while feeding my family another meal out of it through anything from casseroles to ham-stuffed crepes.
However, I never eat homemade soup on the first day I make it. I always put it in the refrigerator so that the grease hardens and can be scrapped off the next day. After all, why waste calories eating artery-clogging grease when you can save those calories on things that taste good? Surprisingly though, ham soup cooked this way doesn't seem to have all that much fat to skim off compared to chicken or beef soup, which attracts it like a magnet.
If you have cabbage on hand, you can clean and chop some up for this soup. The more cabbage you add, the sweeter your soup will become. Try putting about one-fourth of a medium size cabbage in your soup for a nice change.
My Favorite Ham-Bean Soup--Nuts Style!
12 cups of water
1 ham slice (one-inch thick)
4 carrots, peeled, cleaned and sliced
1 medium onion (about 1/2 cup chopped)
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped into pieces
2 stalks of celery, chopped into pieces
1 cup Northern Beans, (sorted for stones and soaked overnight first)
1/2 cup lentils or 1/2 cup dried split peas (don't have to soak overnight)
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons of salt (add more or less depending on your taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 of a medium cabbage, clean and chopped (optional)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of flour
Brown your chopped onions and garlic in the olive oil until golden brown. Set aside from the heat to stir in the flour to coat. Return to the heat and add the rest of the ingredients with the water. Cook until the beans are soft. Add some cooked noodles, rice, or even dumplings for a change.
The ham can be used for another meal. If you like, you can take it apart and throw the pieces back in your soup. However, I always make another dinner like pot pies, crepes, or another casserole.
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