Tag Archives: ham stock

Cacio e Pepe Ham and White Bean Soup

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Just after an all-night ice storm, this comforting soup was the perfect antidote. It is a creative mashup on the classic Roman pasta dish, cacio e pepe, which translates to “cheese and pepper.”

This soup is a great way to use up your Parmesan rinds and simmer them with a ham bone to make the savory ham broth. Dried white beans are then cooked in the flavorful broth until tender and creamy. After pureeing some of the beans to make the soup creamy, pecorino Romano and freshly ground pepper finish the soup with classic cacio e pepe flair.

Since the broth and beans are made from scratch* (or not—see note), this soup does take a bit of time, but the deeply savory flavors make it worth it. Perfect for cozy evenings yet elegant enough to serve to guests, this soup is equal parts hearty and sophisticated. Serve it with crusty bread and a salad to round out the meal.

OUR NOTES: *If you have pre-made ham stock like we did, skip Step 1. (It certainly saves a lot of time.) In Step 5, add the parmesan rinds wrapped in a bundle with cheesecloth and the thyme sprigs. **Use 8 cups ham stock, plus 2 cups water. You can use three 15-ounce cans of drained and rinsed white beans instead of the dried beans. In Step 5, add the beans and half of the ham broth (5 cups) and simmer until the broth is thickened about 30 minutes.

Make ahead: Refrigerate the ham broth for up to one week or freeze for up to three months. Refrigerate the soup for up to five days or freeze in individual containers for up to three months.

Cacio e Pepe Ham and White Bean Soup

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: moderate
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Ingredients

  • 2 yellow onions, divided
  • 4 large celery stalks, divided
  • 4 carrots, (about 1 lb.) peeled and divided
  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled and divided
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 smoked ham bone, (2- to 3-lb.) or 1 or 2 large ham hock, preferably with meat
  • 8 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rinds, (4 to 5 rinds tied up in a cheese cloth)
  • 7 sprigs thyme
  • 12 cups water, (see note)**
  • 1 Tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper, plus more for serving
  • 1 lb. dried white beans, (such as Great Northern beans or cannellini beans), soaked for 12 hours, drained
  • 1 oz. pecorino Romano cheese or Parmesan cheese, finely shredded (about 1/4 cup), plus more for serving
  • Kosher salt, to taste

Directions

  1. Cut 1 onion, 2 celery stalks, and 2 carrots into 1-inch pieces. Smash 6 garlic cloves. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add chopped vegetables and smashed garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add ham bone, cheese rinds, thyme sprigs, and water; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to low; simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally (to prevent cheese from sticking to bottom of pot), until broth is cloudy and tastes strongly like Parmesan and ham, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  2. While broth simmers, chop remaining 1 onion, 2 celery stalks, and 2 carrots into 1/2-inch pieces. Mince remaining 4 garlic cloves. Set aside.
  3. Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer set over a large measuring cup or bowl, pressing vegetables and cheese rinds to extract as much liquid as possible (about 10 cups); discard solids. Reserve ham bone. Wipe pot clean.
  4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pot over medium-high. Add pepper and reserved chopped vegetables; cook, stirring often, until vegetables start to soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add reserved minced garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  5. Add reserved ham bone, drained beans, and strained broth; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until beans are creamy and tender and ham meat easily pulls away from bone, 2 to 3 hours.
  6. Transfer 1 cup of soup (removing any ham pieces) to a small bowl; mash using a potato masher until smooth. (Alternatively, transfer to a blender, and process until smooth.) Stir mashed soup back into pot.
  7. Remove ham bone from soup, and shred meat (about 1 cup); return meat to soup, and discard bone. Stir in pecorino Romano cheese until cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt. Ladle soup evenly into individual bowls; sprinkle with additional black pepper and cheese.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Jasmine Smith for Food & Wine

Russ’ Rustic Ham & Navy Bean Soup

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Super flavorful and hearty, you’ll be wanting more of this soup after just one spoonful. The key to its success is homemade ham broth, not something most home cooks have readily available, but Russ gives you step-by-step directions below. That being said, the ham broth is essential. If you don’t have any, it becomes an altogether different soup, both in taste and process.

It is a huge time commitment, so pick a day where you have a large chunk of it to work with. And if you also need to make ham stock, do that a day or two (or week) ahead of time.

Whole-grain cracker strips made a nice rustic accompaniment.

This is a good recipe to use after a large ham dinner such as at Easter, or some other family gathering or pot luck party.

Russ' Rustic Ham & Navy Bean Soup

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: moderate
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb. dried navy beans, soaked in 4 quarts of water with 3 tablespoons of salt for 8-24 hours
  • 4 thick slices bacon, diced
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 ham bone
  • 2 1/2 -3 cups ham, shredded or diced
  • 2 medium onions, peeled and diced
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 8 cups ham broth (see recipe below)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 tsp. pimentón dulce (smoked paprika)
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions

  1. Rinse beans under cool water and remove any small stones or debris. Add 4 quarts water and 3 tablespoons of salt to a large pot and stir until salt is dissolved. Add the rinsed beans and soak at least and up to 24 hours.
  2. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. When oil begins to shimmer, add the diced bacon, and cook until bacon has released its fat and is fully cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
  3. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and sprinkle with a large pinch of salt. Sauté the vegetables until the onions begin to soften. Drain and rinse the soaked beans and add to the pot, then add the bay leaf, ham bone, and ham broth*. Turn heat to high and bring mixture to a simmer (be careful not to boil it to avoid bursting the beans), then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and cook until the beans are tender, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. 
  4. Once beans are tender, stir in the ham and cooked bacon and continue to simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme branches. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add the pimentón and parsley.  Serve.

*Note:  If you don’t have pre-made ham stock, you can make your own easily following the instructions below. 

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Ham Stock

Ham Stock

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. smoked ham hocks or smoked pork necks or a mix, lightly rinsed and drained
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed (no need to peel it)
  • 1 large stalk celery with leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1 large carrot, scrubbed and roughly chopped
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 sprigs fresh parsley
  • 1 Tbsp. whole peppercorns
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 4 quarts water

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large soup or stock pot over medium-high.  Add the onion, garlic, celery, and carrot and sauté them until they are caramelized.  Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits in the bottom of the pot, and boil until the wine is reduced by half.
  2. Add the ham hocks and/or smoked pork necks and the remaining ingredients, including the water, and bring the pot to a simmer over high heat.  Immediately lower the heat to medium-low or low and continue to simmer the stock, uncovered, until it reduces by a half, skimming any foam or scum that rises to the surface (about 2–4 hours). Do not stir the stock while it simmers.
  3. Strain the stock through a colander into another large pot or container.  When the solids have cooled enough to handle, you can pick the meat off the shank and/or neck bones and reserve for the soup.  At this point, you can proceed with the Ham and Bean Soup recipe above.

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Spanish Chorizo, Ham and White Bean Stew

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Having made the traditional recipe—which takes hours—we were thrilled to find this quick-and-easy version of the Spanish tapa known as Fabada Asturiana, a hearty stew of dried beans, sausage and other smoky, porky ingredients.

A number of years ago on our first trip to Spain, we were lucky enough to enjoy an authentic fabada, shown above, in the little Austurian town of Cabrales in Northern Spain. The Hubs liked it so much, he bought the ingredients and smuggled them home. Luckily (or not), because I had suffered a broken foot a few days earlier, we were whisked through airport customs back home, preventing our illegal meats and beans from being confiscated. (I don’t advise this tactic as a long term plan 🤣 )

I digress, back to the recipe at hand… Based on the changes from Milk Street, we pared back on the meats, using only chorizo and ham, both of which lend deep flavor to the broth. The dish gets its name from the large beans that are traditionally used in its preparation, but canned white beans work quite well. Preferred are the relatively large size and creamy texture of cannellinis, but great northern and navy beans are fine, too.

A pinch of saffron adds a very Spanish flavor and fragrance, while giving the stew an alluring golden hue. The color and flavor were also amped up from our homemade ham stock, which replaced the chicken broth.

The Hubs was sorely tempted to add a pinch of pimentón, but restrained himself from adding it to the stew. However, he did decide to sneak it onto the toasted crusty bread. BTW, it will serve six as a first course, or four as the main entrée.

TIP: Don’t overcook the chorizo and ham after adding it to the sautéed onion mixture. If the pieces begin to sear or brown, they’ll be chewy and rubbery in the finished dish. Cook only until the chorizo begins to release some of its fat.

  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • Tbsp.  extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 6 medium garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tsp. saffron threads
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 8 oz. Spanish chorizo, casings removed, halved and thinly sliced
  • 8 oz. ham steak, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 1½ qts. chicken broth, or ham stock, preferably homemade
  • 3 15½-oz. cans white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • Warmed crusty bread, to serve

Directions

  1. In a large pot over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, saffron and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is slightly softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
  2. Add the chorizo and ham, then cook, stirring, just until the chorizo begins to release its fat, about 1 minute. Stir in the broth, beans and bay. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then reduce to medium and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a simmer, for 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. Remove and discard the bay, then stir in the scallions. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with bread.

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Recipe adapted from Courtney Hill for Milk Street