Ham Hock and Beans

Ham Hock and Beans

A perfect chilly day soup to have with a leftover ham bone!

1 ham hock with some meat still on
1 bag 15 bean mix
3/4 cup celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, minced
6 carrots, diced
4 T. butter

1 T. Kosher salt
1 t. ground sage
1 T. parsley
2 t. ground black pepper
2 t. chili powder
1/2 packet bean seasoning mix

Soak beans overnight. 4 hours before serving, drain beans. Put in a large stockpot with ham hock and add 4 qts. of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 3 hours. At 3 hours, add the carrots and start the rest of the soup.

In a saute pan, melt butter. Add onion, garlic, celery and seasoning. Saute until onions are translucent. Add mixture to soup and simmer until carrots are tender, about 1 hour.

Remove ham bones from soup and peel off remaining meat. Add meat back to soup, discard bones.

Zuppa Toscana

Another OG knockoff. This is tasty with Caesar Salad and breadsticks. And great for a cold snowy day! This recipe makes about 8 servings, so scale down or invite over some friends.

Zuppa Toscana
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1½ tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
4 Tbsp bacon pieces
2 tsp garlic puree
10 cups water
5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
¼ of a bunch of kale

Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic for approxiamtly 15 minutes or until the onions are soft. ix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling.

Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in the sausage. Add kale just before serving.

Beef Stew

The great thing about having a roast is having the leftovers! Leftover roast makes the best stew.

Roast Stew
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 potatoes, washed and chopped
2 stalks celery, washed and chopped
1 clove garlic minced
kosher salt
ground black pepper
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
24 oz. beef stock/broth
leftover roast, course chopped

Melt butter in large cast iron skillet. Add vegetables and saute until just tender. Add flour to remaining butter to make a roux (add a little extra butter if needed). Pour in 8 oz. of the broth to absorb roux. Add vegetables, roux and leftover roast bits into crock pot and 'stew' for 3-4 hours or until vegetables are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.

Three Bean Turkey Chili

This recipe is super easy and tastes great! I've tried it with ground beef or deer and it tastes best with the turkey. Top with sour cream and cheddar cheese and serve with warm corn bread.

Turkey Chili
20 oz. ground turkey
2 10 oz. cans black beans
2 10 oz. cans red or kidney beans
1 small can green chilies
3 T. light chili powder
1 c. frozen or canned corn

Brown ground turkey in a sauté pan. Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours.