Here is a Ham and Bean soup you might want to try. It is another that I play with to my taste. My mother would use chicken broth instead of the water? Again, to taste! ~ Alan Toth
Ingredients:
- ½ cup oil (olive/peanut)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium carrot, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, minced
- 1 small parsnip, minced
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- 1 lb. dried pinto beans, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 large smoked ham hock
- ¼ cup flour
- 1½ tsp. Hungarian sweet paprika, plus more for garnish
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup sour cream
- 12 cups water (chicken broth)
Instructions:
- Heat half the oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, carrot, onion, parsnip, and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 7–9 minutes. Add beans, ham hock, and 12 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, partially covered, until beans are very tender, about 2 hours.
- Transfer ham hock to a cutting board and let cool, then discard skin and bone. Shred meat and stir into soup. Heat remaining oil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth; cook 2 minutes. Whisk in paprika, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Whisk in sour cream. Stir mixture into soup and cook until slightly thickened, 4–6 minutes more. Garnish with more paprika, if you like.
