My mom has several recipes that aren't written down anywhere except in her neurons. Since she only makes these recipes about once a year, it's been a bit of a chore to try and get some notes down. She's also really bad about making the recipes and then telling me about it.
This soup only makes an appearance when it's cold and when there's the remains of a ham sitting in the fridge. Which means we get this around Thanksgiving or Easter. Unless a rogue ham makes an appearance at dinner one night. Luckily the stars aligned, I got notes on the soup, and managed to wrangle some out of my dad's hands for a picture.
This soup means cold weather to me, and I could eat about a gallon at a sitting. My mom doesn't know where she got the recipe from originally, so to me it has always just been My Mom's Soup. My mom's soup that causes extreme family discord as we all try and knock each other down to get the last bowlful.
Bean and Ham Soup
1 pound dry navy
or Great Northern beans
1 meaty ham bone (leftover
from a cooked butt-portion ham)
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon salt
6 peppercorns
1 medium onion,
sliced
3 small carrots,
sliced
3 small potatoes,
peeled and cubed
1 (14½-ounce) can
diced tomatoes, including liquid
Salt and freshly
ground black pepper
Rinse the dry
beans and pick out any bad ones. Soak
the beans overnight in enough water to cover about an inch over the level of
the beans.
Empty the beans
and water into a colander; rinse the beans under fresh water. Put the beans in a large pot and cover with
water, about halfway up the side of the pot.
Add the ham bone, bay leaf, salt, and peppercorns. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Add the tomatoes;
cook for an additional ½ hour. Add the
onion, carrots, and potatoes. Remove the
ham bone and cut off small chunks of ham and return the meat to the pot. If the beans are still relatively whole, mash
the beans slightly. Season with salt and
pepper. Continue to cook for an
additional 30 to 45 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are soft.
Makes 8 servings
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