Email to Cat      

White Bean Soup with Ham

Source of Recipe


From "Tom Fitzmorris's New Orleans Food" by Tom Fitzmorris



List of Ingredients



• Stock:
  
• 3 to 4 pounds ham shank or smoked pork shoulder
  
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
  
• Stems from 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 8 black peppercorns
  
• ¼ tsp dried thyme
  
• ¼ tsp dried marjoram
  
• .
  
• Soup:
  
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  
• 1 pound white beans (navy beans), sorted and soaked overnight
  
• ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• ½ tsp Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce
  
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
  






Instructions



1. Put all the stock ingredients into a stockpot with 20 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours, or until the ham comes easily off the bone.
   
   
2. Remove the ham from the pot. Strain the stock and discard the solids. Pick the ham from the bone and set aside.
   
   
3. Rinse the stockpot and wipe dry. Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the celery, onion, and garlic, and sauté until the onion browns slightly. Drain the beans and add to the pot, along with the Worcestershire sauce, salt, green pepper sauce, and a little less than 8 cups of the strained stock. Simmer, covered, until the beans are tender, about 2 hours.
   
   
4. Strain the soup. Purée the solids in a food processor, then add them back to the broth. Shred as much ham as you'd like in your soup and add it. Adjust seasonings. Garnish with green onions.
   
   
5. Reserve the rest of the ham and stock (you can reduce the stock to make it easier to store) for other purposes (jambalaya or pasta dishes, for example).
   
   Serves 8