Soup - Grn Bns, Pot, and Ham

January, 2022

.....

        Well ... since I love all three of the main ingredients in this recipe ... I came up with this idea to get them all together.   When I first made this recipe I used one ingredient that my other half said " she would never eat. "
        Well she had also told me early in our marriage that she didn't like " Vegetable Beef Soup. "   Then I made my version and we had to have it once a week for the next two months !   She found out she kind of liked it ... LOL
So what was the ingredient I had that " she would never eat ? "

        Now some of you just might be also thinking ... " Nope ... not eating one of those ! "   Well after I made this recipe with the " 1 lb. Canned Ham " the first time for my wife " She loved it ! " ... When I made it the second time I used regular ham that I had from another meal and her response was " When you made this the first time the ham was a lot better ! "
        These little canned hams are different than regular ham for sure ..... and the taste is somewhere between regular ham and canned Spam ! ..... " But there are multiple great reasons for using them " ... Check out my link above for more on them !
This is one of my recipes that my " Family and Friends " always ask for and .....
" I think you'll like it too ! "

Ingredients:

  1  ~  1 lb. canned ham  ~  ( Any brand )  ~  ( See Tip #1 below )
           ( Remember ... You can also use a 8 oz., or larger, ham slice instead of the canned ham )
  2  ~  14.5 oz. cans of green beans  ~  ( we prefer the " Italian Cut " for this soup )
  2  ~  32 oz. boxes of Vegetable or Chicken Stock  ~  ( broth can also be used )  ~  ( See Tip #2 below )
  4  ~  cups of diced Yellow or Golden Potatoes  ~  ( If you like potatoes 5 or 6 cups are recommended )  ~  ( See Tip #3 below )
  1  ~  Tablespoon of seasoned salt
  1  ~  Small Onion ( diced ) " OR " 1 Tablespoon of dried minced onions
  2  ~  Celery Stalks  ~  ( " Optional "  ~  " OR " two teaspoons of Celery Seeds  ~  either one makes soup taste better )
  Pepper  ~  ( to taste )

Directions:

  In a soup pot add the Stock or Broth and start heating just until it starts to boil.
  While the Stock or Broth is starting to heat up to just boiling:

Add the seasoning salt.
Add pepper to taste.
Add " Ham Base & Seasoning "  -  ( " optional " but better with )  -  ( See Tip #2 below )
Cut up and add the Celery  -  or use Celery seeds.
Cut up and add the Onion  -  or use the dried minced onions.

  Once the soup just starts to boil ... lower the soup to medium-low heat.
  Then cut up as much of the Ham as you desire for your soup:  -  ( See Tip #1 below )

The entire Ham ...
3/4 of the ham ...
or 1/2 of the Ham

  Add Ham to soup.
  Add Green Beans to soup.
  Then lower the soup to " Simmer " and let simmer for about 15 to 30 minutes.
  While soup is " Simmering " peel and cut up the potatoes.
  Then increase the heat again just until it starts to boil.
  Add the potatoes to the soup and decrease again to " Simmer " and let simmer for about 30 minutes for the potatoes to cook.
  And then serve and .....


         I've tried many kinds of the 1 lb. canned hams and everyone has basically the same taste.   I usually only find them at either " Wal-Mart's ", " Aldi's ", and even some " Wegman's " .   Normally for this soup I only use " 1/2 " or " 3/4 " of the canned ham ( using the small or pointed end of the ham ) ..... Then we use the rest of the ham for:

Frying up with eggs for breakfast ...
Frying up a couple of slices just for lunch ... or even sometime putting the fried piece of ham in a " Grilled Cheese "
There are a lot ways to use it ...



         Or, as already noted, you can use an 8 oz. or larger ham slice which are available at all grocery stores !   A larger, bone in ham slice, is also a great ham to use and you'll have leftovers from that as well to use as noted above .....

         Since the time that I've found the " Orrington Farm's Ham Base & Seasoning " ( see photos below ) I've made this soup a little differently ..... and this is what I do for a better " Ham " flavor:

Use only 1  -  32 oz. box of Vegetable or Chicken Stock
Use 4 cups of water and mix in " 8 " - teaspoons of " Ham Base & Seasoning "

" And that is my soup base "
The three shown below are the ones that I've found locally.
You can only find them at " Wal-Mart's, Redner's, or Aldi's. "

         Yukon Gold or Yellow potatoes are the " Best Potatoes " to use in a Slow Cooker.   They have a waxy texture that holds up better than the Russet or Baking Potatoes which " tend to fall apart " in the cooking process and also give more of a " sandy texture / feel to the tongue " when cooked.
         If you " can't find " Gold or Yellow potatoes then the next best choice are the Russet Potatoes.   Baking potatoes " are not a good choice " since it takes them almost " 3 to 4 times longer " to cook in a soup which means everthing else in the soup is over cooked .....

or at
( russpickde@comcast.net )

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