Leftovers

When I had my first home-raised pig butchered last year, the butcher asked whether I wanted my hams halved or quartered.  Being a rookie in sending an entire pig to be butchered, I cheerfully answered "halved please."  I had no clue that each "half" ham would weigh from 14-16 lbs. I have no kids to feed! So there I was, with four really big hams. Sixty pounds total, to be exact...

I cooked one for Easter (it was fabulous!) and had a ton of ham left over (surprise), which I cubed, and chunked and sliced and then froze. It was chilly last week, so I made up a batch of soup with what I had on hand, and some of the frozen leftover ham.  No recipe, I just threw as much of the ingredients into the pot as I saw fit.  No broth required either.  As it cooked, the ham it made its own broth.  One of the easiest soups ever, and a great way to use up leftover ham. Oh and the kitchen smelled awesome!

You could add whatever vegetable you have on hand really - green beans, cabbage, kale, carrots, whatever.  This is what I tossed into the pot...

Ham (mine was smoked)
Onion
Garlic
Red pepper
2 bay leaves
a pinch of thyme
a splash of homemade white wine
frozen corn
Cayenne pepper
a few potatoes
a couple stalks of old celery

I didn't even bother to sauté anything first.  I let it simmer until the potatoes were very tender, and then I poured it all into mason jars for future work lunches. Add a hunk of homemade bread and you're good to go.  I would imagine you could even do this soup just fine in the crockpot and have it hot and ready when you get home.  ~A