Lately I’ve been in the mood for soup. Maybe it’s because of the change of seasons (fall is, after all, the season of soup) but I think it’s more likely because I’ve been a little under the weather for a coupe of weeks. A bowl of soup can be a big bowl of comfort, warming you up and making you feel better from the inside out.
This soup could really not have been much easier. Throw some stuff in a pot. Cook for a couple hours. Throw some more stuff in the same pot. Cook for another hour or so. Eat.
xxx
I used purple and white carrots but that’s just because that is what I had in my crisper, orange carrots will work just fine. Same goes for the leeks, I could have used plain-ole onions but I was completely out of those, so leeks instead. Here’s the lineup.
To start, I threw the beans and a ham hock in a stock pot with a bunch of water. It’s a myth that beans need to be soaked overnight (they just take a little longer to cook if you don’t soak them).
I added a generous dose of salt to the pot after about an hour and let it continue to simmer for another hour or so (I kind of lost track of time after being sucked in to a movie). Once the beans were soft I dumped in everything else and let this simmer for another hour.
Once the collard greens were tender I took the ham hock out of the pot, let it cool for a while (until It was cool enough to handle) and then set to picking all the tasty goodness from the bones. I pulled all the meat from the hock, shredded it and then discarded the fat, gristle, bones and what not.
That shredded meat went back in the pot just to heat through and then It was time to eat. I decided to top the soup with a bit of pesto from the freezer (I had mixed herb pesto, but any pesto would work) and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. The pesto adds a nice bit of brightness to the flavor of the soup so I highly recommend this addition.
xxx
xxx
Served with a nice bit of crusty bread, this was a wonderful fall dinner. Warm, delicious and exactly what my beat-down body was craving.
xxx
BEANS AND GREENS SOUP
serves 6-8 as a main dish
This makes a ton of soup but it freezes well. Ham hocks and dried beans are very inexpensive ingredients so this soup is easy on the pocketbook.
1 pound dried white beans
1 smocked ham hock (may be sold as a ham shank)
10 cups water
4 leeks or 2 onions, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch collard greens, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
pesto (optional, but highly recommended)
Parmesan cheese (optional)
In a large pot combine the beans, ham hock and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for two hours, or until the beans are tender adding a generous amount (a tablespoon or so) of salt about one hour into the cooking time.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and continue to simmer for another hour.
Remove the ham hock from the pot and let cool. Once it is cool enough to handle separate the meat from the bones and any large pieces of fat, then shred the meat. Return the shredded meat to the pot and heat through.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with Parmesan and pesto (if using).
