Ham and bean soup: it’s just about as simple as it can get and it takes such little time as this particularly version of ham and bean soup is cooked in a crockpot.   I love how the mildness of tender white beans complements the striking, sweet smokiness of a pastured ham hock in a beautiful and classic combination that has nourished the commonfolk across the United States for a good, long time.   I prefer to serve this classic ham and bean soup accompanied by collard greens gently sautéed in bacon fat with a cranberry masa muffin slathered in fresh butter on the side.

Simple food for simple folk, ham and bean soup is easy and inexpensive to prepare.   Indeed, it should be considered one of my 10 healthy meals under $10 as this recipe easily serves 6 for about $7.50 using heritage breed, meadow-raised ham and organic ingredients.   Not bad. As with most recipes I do insist on organic ingredients and properly raised meats for this ham and bean soup recipe.   You see, sourcing your ingredients properly and cleanly is better for the environment, your farmer, your health and the overall flavor of your dish.   Much like a real artisan cheese or homebaked bread, meadow-raised ham just tastes better.   Charming and subtle nuances of flavor are missing in its factory farmed cousins.

Choosing a crockpot or slowcooker to prepare this ham and bean soup makes feeding your family nourishing foods much more simple.   As a working mother, I understand the challenges mothers face in preparing nourishing meals for their families so we rely on our crockpot fairly heavily.   To me, the crockpot is the modern version of the old-fashioned cauldron that would sit on the hearth bubbling away as mothers, fathers and children worked the fields and cared for the animals in times gone by.

To make ham and bean soup, you’ll need the following:

• 1 Meadow-raised Ham Hock
• 2 Cups Dry White Beans (I prefer cannellini)
• 1 Tablespoon Raw Cider Vinegar
• 1 Strip of Kombu
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 5 Carrots, Peeled and Diced
• 5 Celery Stalks, Peeled and Diced

Instructions for preparing Ham and Bean Soup:

1. Soak the beans overnight with the raw cider vinegar.   Remember, the addition of the vinegar creates an acidic environment that makes the beans more digestible.   Moreover, it deactivates antinutrients naturally found in legumes and pulses and thusly renders the nutrients found in white beans more bioavailable.
2. After the beans have soaked overnight or even as long as 24 hours, drain them and rinse them thoroughly.
3. Add the beans, kombu, ham hock, celery, carrot and bay leaf to a crockpot and cover with fresh, filtered water.
4. Cook on low for 24 hours or on high for 12 or so until the beans are fall-apart tender and the meat from the ham hock has fallen off the bone.
5. Serve ham and bean soup with Cranberry Masa Muffins instead of cornbread and a big pile of sauteed greens with garlic.

Did you like this post? Please let me know by leaving a comment. Don't forget to find Nourished Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. © Jenny for Nourished Kitchen, 2009. | Permalink |
]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/ham-bean-soup-crockpot/feed/ 5 http://nourishedkitchen.com/kale-and-white-bean-soup/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/kale-and-white-bean-soup/#comments Sat, 19 Jul 2008 06:43:04 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/recipes/?p=235  

I’d post the steps to this recipe, but there’s so few it’s almost not worth posting at all.   It’s less a recipe than a “dump it in the pot and eat” ingredient list.   This recipe for Kale and White Bean Soup saves me in every way it can: when I’m tired and can’t cook, when we have even less money to spend on food, when I want something warming and nourishing.

A few caveats: kale is one of those leafy greens that contains a measurable amount of oxalates. While kale is enormously healthy for you with its antioxidants and protective effects against ovarian cancer it does have those pesky oxalates which are known to inhibit mineral absorption–particularly calcium.   Kale also contains goitrogens and may contribute to thyroid problems if eaten in large amounts by susceptible individuals.   Of course, I think that the benefits of eating cooked kale (cooking decreases any potential problems with oxalates or goitrogens) far outweigh the detractions posed by oxalates and goitrogens.

At any rate, if you want to try this simply, easy, nourishing and cheap dish you’ll need:

• 2 Cups White Beans, Soaked Overnight
• 4-5 Carrots, Peeled and Chopped
• 4-5 Celery Stalks, Chopped
• 1 Onion, Chopped
• 5 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 3 Tablespoons Butter or Ghee from Grass-fed Cows
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Quarts Homemade Chicken Stock (Yes, from the bones because that’s where all the minerals are!)
• 1 Bunch Kale (I prefer Blue Dino)
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

1. You’ll need to soak the beans overnight–at least and you can soak them up to 48 hrs or so if you need to.   You should be in the habit of soaking all your grains and legumes as these plant foods contain antinutrients called phytates which inhibit mineral absorption.   By soaking the foods, you remove the antinutrients releasing the full nutritive power of the food as well as increasing its overall digestibility.
2. Drain the beans and cook them on low in water overnight in the crockpot.   Drain the beans and add all ingredients to your slow cooker except the kale which you’ll add at the last minute.   Cook on low all day long.
3. Return home from a hard day at work, add the kale to the pot and prepare a simple salad as an accompaniment to the meal.   Serve when the kale is cooked, but still bright green.
4. This dish–with its use of both beans and kale–would not be nearly as nourishing were it not for proper preparation.

Did you like this post? Please let me know by leaving a comment. Don't forget to find Nourished Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. © Jenny for Nourished Kitchen, 2008. | Permalink |
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