Ham and Bean Cabbage Soup

I love ham for Easter, however I always have a hard time coming up with ways to use the leftovers. There seems to be a plethora of leftover turkey/chicken recipes, but ham ones are harder to find. I used some of the ham in a ham/noodle casserole and would have loved to have made a ham and asparagus quiche, but I haven't had any luck in my very, very limited search for local asparagus. It was kinda chilly last week, so I decided maybe I could swing a soup.

Mmm...I was glad I did. This soup is a step beyond your basic ham and bean soup with the addition of potatoes, cabbage, parsley, and thyme. It was wonderful, especially with the large baguette croutons dipped into it. I altered the recipe to use my leftover ham, the original called for ham hocks. I was able to cut my cooking time down considerably by using my already cooked sliced ham. To see the original version of the recipe using ham hocks, click here. You could also cut down on preparation/cooking time by using canned beans. That just isn't as fun though and probably not as tasty either (because ingredients don't have time to marry). I soak the beans overnight so they are ready to cook when I get up the next day (but I never cook them quite yet). You can also cook the beans, and then cool and refrigerate until you are ready to make the rest of the soup. This serves 4 - 6 people as dinner.

Ham and Bean Cabbage Soup
adapted from Gourmet

1 c dried white beans (like Great Northern, navy, or cannellini), picked over and rinsed
1 whole clove
1 medium onion, peeled and left whole
1 lb cooked ham (don't slice until later in the recipe)
3 qt water
6 fresh parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 fresh thyme sprig
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb potatoes
1 lb cabbage, cored and cut into 1/2" pieces (about 6 c)
1/4 c butter, softened (but not melted)
12 (1/2" thick) slices from a baguette

Soak beans in cold water to cover by 2 inches at room temperature for between 8 - 12 hours. Drain in colander.

Stick clove in onion. Bring beans, ham, water, onion, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, and garlic to a boil and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until beans are almost tender, 40 - 50 minutes. (You can stop the recipe at this point and finish about 30 minutes before you are ready to eat). When the beans are almost done, peel potatoes and cut into 1" pieces. Add potatoes and cabbage to beans, then simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are very tender, 20 - 25 minutes. Remove the hunk of ham from the beans and cut into bite sized pieces once ham is cool enough to handle. Return to soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf and onion.

Meanwhile, while the vegetables cook, spread butter on both sides of the bread, then toast in batches in a 12" cast iron skillet over moderate heat, turning over once, until golden, about 2 minutes total. Serve soup with toasts.

Smoky Greens and Beans

Mmm...this is a great side or a stand alone light supper. I think it was intended as a soup, but I just needed it as a side, so I just didn't dish a lot of the broth (and had the leftovers as soup). I didn't have smoked paprika, so regular worked just fine. Next time, I'll be sure I do have the smoked paprika. That's right friends, there will be a next time for this one. I also just used water for the broth and it was just fine.

Smoky Greens and Beans
adapted from Bon Appetit

2 T olive oil
1 lg onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 t smoked paprika (or regular if you can't find smoked)
1 3/4 c (1-14oz can) vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water
8 c coarsely chopped assorted greens (kale, mustard greens, and/or collards, about 8 ounces)
1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained
grated Manchego or Parmesan or other hard salty cheese

Heat oil in large pan over medium high heat. Add onion and saute until softened and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with juice) and paprika; stir 1 minute. Add broth and greens. Bring to boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until greens are wilted and tender (depending on the type of greens depends on the time--I used all collards and it took longer than 15 minutes), about 15 minutes. Stir in beans and simmer just until beans are heated through, 1 - 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.

Beans and Tomato Casserole

There is a time and place for casseroles. For example, when you are taking food to a family with a new baby or because of an illness or death, casseroles are called for. They freeze well and only need to be popped in the oven. Casseroles also come in handy for evenings that you want to eat supper and be done or make supper ahead of time. While the casserole cooks, all the prep dishes are washed making after dinner chaos less so. With three kids, the casserole has a big draw. However, my husband does not love casseroles. I do. However, he'll tolerate them if it means he doesn't need to clean up the kitchen after supper (and he loves them if someone else makes them for us).

I needed to use up my tomatoes that have been ripening on my window sill (yes, I know it would have been much faster to ripen them in a paper bag, but then I wouldn't have been able to enjoy watching them ripen). I was going to use them for a fish recipe, but it turns out, I didn't have any fish in the freezer. I didn't want a recipe that was a lot of work, so I turned to Bittman, who has no problem at all with easy casseroles.

I enjoyed this recipe, Curtis tolerated it and M had nothing to do with it because apparently she doesn't like dishes that have cheese cooked into it or white beans now. J ate about his normal portion for supper. I will make this again and Curtis will enjoy having a clean kitchen the moment the dishes from the table are put away and the leftovers have gone into the fridge. This will make 4 servings as a main dish.


Bean and Tomato Casserole
adapted from How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman

4 c (2 15-oz cans) cooked beans (I used cannellini beans, but you could use whatever you had or a combination), drained and rinsed
4 tomatoes, sliced
1 lg onion, chopped
1 1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated
2 T fresh oregano, chopped
1 t fresh thyme leaves

Saute onions in a little bit of oil in a pan until tender. In the bottom of a greased 2 qt casserole dish, put 1/2 the beans, followed by a layer of tomatoes, onions, and then a sprinkling of the herbs and cheese. Repeat. Bake in preheated 400 degrees oven for 20 - 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and hot.

Meditteranean Orzo Salad and White Bean Soup

We had a church potluck today and I was determined to find a recipe to use some of the spinach that had been sitting in my refrigerator this week. I came across this salad recipe which is filling enough that we've eaten it as a main course in the past. It's a good recipe if you have some spinach, but not enough for spinach lasagna or another dish that requires a pound or more. We also had a wonderful cold front move in this morning so I decided some bean soup would be a good accompaniment for the leftover salad for supper this evening. I actually did make the beans from scratch this time, first time in a while I've done that, but I've also made the recipe using canned beans. M wouldn't touch the salad, no surprise there, but everyone ate the soup and seemed to enjoy it. I used the soup as an excuse to use the rest of my parsley from the CSA box as well and although the recipe didn't call for it, it was a nice flavor for the soup. For the soup recipe, click here.

Mediterranean Orzo Salad
1 c uncooked orzo
2 c spinach, chopped
1/2 c sun-dried tomato halves, softened**
3 T kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 t black pepper
6 -oz jar marinaded artichoke hearts
3/4 c feta cheese, crumbled

**To soften sun-dried tomatoes (if you are not using the oil packed kind), soak in boiling water for about 30 minutes.

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water. Combine orzo, spinach, olives, and black pepper in a large bowl. Drain artichokes, reserving marinade. Coarsely chop artichokes and add artichokes, reserved marinade, and 1/2 c feta cheese to orzo mixture, tossing gently. Sprinkle with remaining feta cheese.

White Bean Soup and Celery Salad

The meal my sister decided to make was White Bean Soup (from Epicurious) and Celery Salad. I must admit, I was a little hesitant about the celery salad, especially the dates, but it was really, really good. The white bean soup recipe recommended drizzling white truffle oil on top, but next time I will skip that part--I couldn't tell any difference when the white truffle oil was added and at almost $20 for a bottle, it's too expensive not to notice (thankfully, my sister bought that and not me!). However, when Sunday came around and my sister was supposed to make lunch, she was sick with the stomach bug which went around our house. My mom and I followed the recipe closer than my sister would have. We used canned beans instead of dried beans (3 cans to be exact) and used some of the leftover homemade turkey broth from the turkey we made for Christmas day. We didn't quite puree all of it, but I think next time, I will. I love pureed soups!

Here's the celery salad recipe:

Celery Salad
1/2 of a large bunch of celery
1/2 c chopped dates
3/4 c pecans or walnuts, toasted or chopped

1/2 lg shallot, minced
1 T sherry or red wine vinegar
3 T extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan or Asiago) cheese, shaved

Combine celery, dates, and nuts. In a small jar or dressing shaker, vigorously shake together shallot, vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper. Stir into celery mixture. Top with grated cheese.