This recipe journey began at Christmas time. I had ordered a nice ham for my friends. Except Comic Con or Omircon or whatever cancelled my holiday dinner plans. Said ham went back into the freezer for another time and I whipped it up for a Christmas dinner in March.
Following me so far?
Well, when you get a ham, you often get a bone. Pigs are funny that way. I had this leftover ham bone and, all of a sudden, my mind drifted back to my childhood. When a holiday ham bone in the hands of my grandmother miraculously became the basis for split pea soup.
Hmmm? Could I?
I did. Thanks to a handy recipe in my America's Test Kitchen cookbook. And I was so easy thanks to my Le Creuset dutch oven.
Hopefully, my ham bone still has a little meat on it. I filled the dutch oven with water about two/thirds of the way full. I got it boiling and then placed the ham bone in the bath. I lowered the heat to a simmer and then did something else for three hours.
I removed the ham bone and carefully shredded whatever lean meat was still attached. I also skimmed whatever fat was on top of the stock. I chucked the bone into the trash and worked on the other ingredients.
In a place with some EVO, I cooked up the following:
One medium onion chopped.
Five leeks chopped.
Three carrots chopped.
Some rosemary.
Some thyme.
After five minutes, I put them into the stock that I had created all by myself. I put the shredded meat into the dutch oven.
I sliced up about fifteen fingerling potatoes into three pieces each. In they went with everything else.
I added my own secret touch...three squirts of Maggi flavor enhancer. And then I walked away for another three hours so it could simmer.
I am told this was quite tasty. I never trust myself the first time I conjure up something new in the kitchen. But this worked out well.
But you do need a bone. Next stop? I might try some homemade chicken soup.
Dinner last night: Chicken noodle soup.
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