Final week of SoupPalooza 2015!  Oh…i really wanted to wow you with some extravagant, lucious, inspiring bowl of yumminess!  I thought of doing a Norwegian-style fruit soup…but couldn’t find just the perfect fruits at this time of year.  I thought of doing a gluten-free, grain-free paleo version of Chicken and Dumplings…but had to ‘dump’ the dumplings (still working on that!).  And then I ran across a great deal on a nice, big ham…and was going to make split pea à la Gramps (my dad)…but then when I made this oh-so-full-of-flavor ham stock (who knew?!?), I thought ‘Just keep it simple, coleen…’  This is a good soup to round out SoupPalooza 2015.  It is simple, hearty, flavorful, adaptable.  And I can tell you…the guy who has enjoyed soup every day this month was very thankful to come home to a steaming mug-full of this!  (He told me to tell you that he hopes you enjoy it just as much!)

This fits well into our healthy but oh-so-yummy point of view—full of veggies, full of flavor, low-fat.  I hope you follow Robert’s lead and enjoy some soup!

 Ham {NOT Split Pea} Soup

ingredients:
1 leftover hambone (with a decent amount of meat attached)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
6-8 ounces mushrooms (I used Baby Bellas), diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2# red or yellow potatoes, peeled and diced (I used baby Yukon gold)
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (I use jarred)
1 cup canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup petite frozen peas
1 teaspoon each dried thyme and tarragon
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
meat from leftover hambone

directions

• place hambone into your largest stockpot and add enough cool, filtered water to cover the bone halfway (for me this was about 8 cups)
• cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for an hour or so; remove hambone
• allow to cool slightly and skim off any nasty business from the surface 😉
• cut away and set aside all the meat from the bone; discard bone
• heat olive oil in another stockpot over medium heat
• add onions and mushrooms; saute just ‘til mushrooms are beginning to caramelize
• add diced carrots and potatoes; saute for additional 5 minutes or so
• add chopped garlic, stirring constantly for 1 minute
• stir in ham stock, beans, corn, peas, and seasonings
• bring back to a boil; cover and reduce heat; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes; remove bay leaves (discard)
• add ham pieces; mix in thoroughly and continue to simmer ‘til heated through, 2-3 minutes
• serve hot and steamy

  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

  God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

  ♥  coleen