HAM AND BEAN SOUP

This month there were great sales at the grocery stores on turkey and ham. Since there were two frozen turkeys in the home freezer already, there was no need to do anymore stocking up. I do have a few frozen bags of chopped ham ready to be made into soups but that didn't stop me from buying a three pound boneless cooked ham. It was a good quality cut and after two meals I knew that it would need to be made into soup and also chopped into cubes and frozen for future meals.  

I like the combination of ham, great northern beans and vegetables in a soup. I keep the ingredients simple. Great northern beans are white in colour and bigger than navy beans. If you prefer navy beans or only have those in your pantry they can be substituted. Navy beans are commonly used to make baked beans. Using dry beans in a recipe such as soup requires some advance planning as I like to soak the dry beans before adding them to the soup. It decreases the cooking time and for some people, helps with the gastro effects that beans can cause. If you only have canned beans they can be substituted. You would need to reduce the cooking time.

I used an electric pressure cooker to make this soup. You can make this soup on the stove using a large soup pot. If making on the stove, I would estimate that you would need to simmer the soup once it boils, for about two and half hours. 

The soup was enjoyed by all and now there is a large container in the fridge for meals this coming week.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups dry great northern beans
1 medium size onion, peeled and chopped
3 gloves of garlic, minced
3 large carrots, chopped 
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3/4 to 1 pound cooked ham, cut into small cubes
8 cups of water (can add some chicken bouillon cubes for flavouring)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp herbes de Provence (optional)
salt and pepper to taste  

DIRECTIONS:

Soak the beans overnight in a large container. I like to add lots of water to the container. Before I add the beans to the soup, I rinse them off in a colander. 

Since this soup cooks longer because of the dry beans, I tend to chop the carrots and celery into larger pieces than what I would regularly do for other soups.    

Add the soaked beans and all of the ingredients to the electric pressure cooker. Cook for 28 to 30 minutes on medium high pressure with the steam set for natural release. Serves 8 to 10 people.

SPINACH, MUSHROOMS AND EGGS

In planning a brunch for friends I decided that one dish would be some sort of baked vegetable egg dish. I had the other menu items lined up - various cheeses, smoked salmon, sourdough bread, pumpkin loaf, yogurt and fruit. I had decided that making eggs scrambled, poached, sunny side up or over easy was too difficult with a crowd. Making egg and vegetables in a muffin cup was an option and it could bake while company was coming through the front door. I combed through some of my favourite food sites and found a recipe for a spinach, mushroom and egg casserole. I read this Smitten Kitchen recipe over a number of times and thought about timing and what I could make ahead as company was coming mid morning. Life is much easier if you can prep some dishes ahead of time.

The essence of this recipe is that you sauté the vegetables ahead of time, mix all of the ingredients together, place it in an oiled 9 X13 over proof casserole dish and refrigerate it overnight. It took about an hour to get everything made and placed in the casserole dish. The eggs are added in the morning just before you are ready to bake it.  

I followed the ingredient list and directions in the Smitten Kitchen recipe and made a few small changes. I used coconut milk from the cartoon instead of heavy cream and sautéed a leak instead of an onion. This egg dish was a hit and everyone wants the recipe. My finished casserole didn't look as pretty as the one from Smitten Kitchen but I am sure it tasted just a good.

Vegetables sauté in a large pan.

Vegetables placed in the casserole dish and spread evenly across the surface.  

Made 12 wells to put each egg into. At this point I covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. 

Ready to go into the oven.