Ham Soup Recipe Wanted

[LuckyRobin]

I've got a big picnic ham and in a couple days it'll be a big bone, so I'd like to make ham soup, but we don't like beans and that seems to be all I can find. Does anyone have a good ham soup recipe that doesn't include beans?

[kork13]

Find a recipe that sounds good except for the beans, then replace the beans with either pearled barley or lentils. Even potatoes would work. I do replacements like that all the time with various ingredients that I either don't like, or if I don't think they "work" with a recipe. Cooking traditionally was never as concrete and precise as today's cookbooks would have you believe...

[GREENBACK]

My mom used to make a soup from potatoes and ham. It was a creamy chowder like soup that was absolutely great on a winter's evening. I can't remember if we called it "ham soup" or "potato soup" and I'm sure the only recipe listed was in her brain. I don't think it would be to hard to duplicate it following a chowder recipe. Dietary restrictions prevent me from doing it or I would try it.

[LuckyRobin]

Hmm...well I make a potato chowder type soup that uses bacon, but I'll bet I could replace it with ham chunks instead.

[mike95910]

yeah bacon sounds much better to me though. You cant go wrong with bacon.

[LuckyRobin]

Turns out it works just as well with the ham as it does with the bacon. It's just a little hardier and a bit more filling.

[Tightwad Kitty]

Recipes

Looking for recipe using ham bones without any dried beans or peas in them, here are a few soup recipes that I posted in my blog.

POTATO SOUP

Carrots
Celery
Onions
Potatoes
Ham, cut up (can use ham bone)
1 cup milk
Flour
1 stick butter
Salt
Pepper
Parsley flakes
Oregano
Basil
Fill large pot with sliced potatoes.
Add sliced carrots, celery, onions, and cover with water.
Add 2 bay leaves.
Boil 1 hour.
Pour 1/2 water off potatoes.
Mix milk and flour, add to soup to thicken.
Add 1 stick of butter.
Add salt, pepper, parsley flakes, oregano, basil to taste.
Add cut up ham.
Also good with leftover steak or roast beef

HAM AND VEGETABLE SOUP

1 smoked ham shank or 1 meaty ham bone from a whole ham
4 c. water
1 c. onion, diced
12 (1/2 can) (1 #12 oz.) whole tomatoes
2 1/4 c. red potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. ham stock base (optional)
Salt to taste
Parsley sprig

In medium pot, add water to ham shank or bone and simmer until tender.
Remove from stove and cool until meat can be taken off the bone and diced. (Broth may be chilled so fat can be removed.) Return stock to pot.
Add onions, tomatoes, chopped ham and potatoes.
Simmer until flavors are blended and potatoes are tender.
Add pepper and ham stock and taste for salt. (saltiness of ham can vary.)
Reheat. Garnish with parsley

[Tightwad Kitty]

Corn Soup with Potatoes and Smoked Ham
Serving 6 -8

1/4 cup lard or another fat
1-1/2 cups diced smoked ham steak
1 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups frozen corn kernels or 2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 4 ears of corn)
1 285g (10oz) smoked ham hock
1 medium potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 cups water

Melt lard in heavy large pot over high heat.
Add ham steak, onion, both bell peppers, and garlic.
Sauté until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add corn and stir 5 minutes.
Add ham hock and potato, then 5 cups water; bring to boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer partially covered 1 hour.
Remove ham hock.
Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.