Easy Recipe: Honeybaked Ham and Bean Soup

My mother was a terrible cook; her idea of a good dinner consisted mainly of opening cans or defrosting something from the freezer. I didn't have fresh asparagus or broccoli until my late 20s. Actually, since she preferred my younger sister to do the "cooking" for the family, I really didn't have much for culinary experience. I entered my first marriage at 18 barely knowing how to operate a can opener.

Somewhere along the way, I picked up the basics, and then some. I have to credit my first mother-in-law, with whom I was always compared with ("My mother doesn't cook *fill in the blank* like this!"). She was of French descent, and her husband was Italian, which admittedly made for some great tasting dishes. These negative comments only served to make me want to prove my in-laws wrong.

My grandma Della, who lived in a small house in the northern Minnesota wetlands, was always an inspiration. Wild game was a big part of her diet, and since she subsisted on a very limited income, she could stretch ingredients like no other person I've known.

I learned to make soup from Grandma Della, and if I can be so smug, after this many years of practice, I think I make some of the best soup around! Grandma Della made soup from bones; carcasses of chickens, turkeys, and venison, and that's what I do as well. She truly lived by the adage was "waste not, want not."

Honeybaked Ham is my favorite ham brand, and we usually have one for the holidays. There's something about the sweet sugar crust which not only makes for a great ham but also for a wonderful ham and bean soup. You can use other hams, but the result probably won't turn out as well. Since I just made this soup a couple of days ago, I thought I would share my recipe.

Ingredients

1 Package of dried beans (I use the 16 bean combination)

One Honeybaked Ham bone (leave some of the ham-about 1/3 if you can-on the bone)

3 Bay leaves

1 small can diced tomatoes

3 cups water or chicken stock

1 1/2 cup of diced onions

1 1/2 cup of sliced carrots

1 1/2 cup of sliced celery

Salt and pepper to taste

Place dried beans in bowl and cover with water. Let it sit for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. When you are ready to cook, place the ham bone in large pot with 3 bay leaves, tomatoes and water. Simmer on low for approximately 2 hours. As soon as the ham starts to loosen from the bone, remove from pot, cool. Add beans, and simmer on low until beans are soft. This may take a few hours. (The beauty of the 16 bean combination is that the smaller legumes will dissolve and serve to thicken the soup.)

In the meantime, cut good pieces of ham from bone and dice. Reserve these for later. Add rest of vegetables, and simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour. About five minutes before serving, add the diced ham to the pot and heat through.

Serve with biscuits or good crusty bread. I like a good red zinfandel or cabernet, something with a lot of body, to complement this soup.

Honeybaked Ham soup always tastes better the second day.