Saturday, January 22, 2011

quietly civilizing





There is something quietly civilizing
about sharing a meal with other people.
The simple act of making someone something
to eat, even a bowl of soup or a loaf of bread,
has a many-layered meaning.
It suggests an act of protection and caring,
of generosity and intimacy.
It is in itself a sign of respect.

Nigel Slater

When snow is coming down in boatloads, nothing warms the body and spirit quite like a steaming bowl of homemade soup. A favorite here at the manor is ham and bean.  I like to save the bone from the holiday ham (not one of those pre-cooked, spiral sliced hams; a wonderful uncooked ham roasted all Christmas morning and eaten for brunch) in the freezer until the perfect cold January day.  Well, today was the perfect snowy day. My recipe varies a bit from year to year, but this one turned out to be extra delicious.

Willow's Ham and Bean Soup

1 ham bone with meat scraps
2 cups dry navy beans
3 carrots, diced
3 ribs celery diced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bouquet garni (I used fresh sage)
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp white pepper
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all the above ingredients in a Dutch oven, (I used Little Red) fill with water, cover and bake in 325 degree oven for at least 3 hours, or until beans are tender.  Discard bouquet garni, remove bone, pull off any attached meat, dice and return to pot.  Serve with warm cornbread. Wear woolly socks.


Willow's Cornbread

3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup skim milk
1 egg
1/2 cup oil

Mix gently until just moistened. Turn into a greased 8 x 8 or 9 inch round pan. Bake 375 for about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.


Click HERE for my other soup recipes.

66 comments:

  1. Cream in corn bread, now that's my kind of bread, just missing one thing: chocolate chips!

    Thanks for the recipes, Tess, will try them out (I have a ham in my freezer with that recipe's name on it!).

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  2. You know, I think chocolate chips would be amazing in this cornbread!

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  3. So soothing and delicious. I could live on soup and bread. I'm not much of a cook though --- just finished brewing my "small stone" soup for today.

    I am enjoying your blog,Tess.

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  4. Oh my, yes! Great idea for this weekend! Yummy

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  5. I'll have my cornbread with chocolate chips ON THE SIDE! Ah don't mix mah food.

    My fav soup is tomato bisque. At market, while buying a quart, little old lady said to me,"Instead of crackers, try cornbread with that soup.

    She was right on. DEELICIOUS!

    I'm enjoying blogs like yours, which lately (sometimes) are publishing "Getting to know you" posts. It is fun learning what people eat--and if they make up their beds...OOOooops!

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  6. So delicious -- both recipes look wonderful! I wish that I had a ham in my freezer but wonder if a little Italian ham would do?

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  7. Soup is a must in my Dutch home where Enno and I have it for lunch every day. Monday is my day to make my soup of the week. I wil try yours with the cornbread. Looks yummy!I also like to have neighbors over to share a cup and a piece of homemaed bread. That is intimate. xo

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  8. With our wood-fired oven (George)on the go almost permanently, we eat versions of this soup on a daily basis; wooly socks and all. You can't beat it.

    Navy beans. Are they what we call butter beans; large flattish and white?

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  9. My youngest son who lives in MN is visiting this week ... every evening we've had six or seven people gathered round the dining room table sharing a meal .. laughing, remembering, loving, connecting. It's magic.

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  10. Soup is my all time fave food, Winter, Summer, Autumn, Spring.... I'm going to try this one. Thanks for the recipe.

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  11. Ah, do I detect yet another Nigel Slater fan? I'm forwarding this recipe to my daughter, Tess. She'll love this!

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  12. A quote by Nigel (my favourite food writer), a recipe with ham at the heart of it. What's not to love?

    Many thanks. You've warmed my heart this morning. :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  13. So tempting, Tess. I think I'll dip into your recipe collection, as I'm really getting into cooking in my old age.
    I was surprised to see a Nigel Slater quote...I just happen to be making Rumbledethumps tonight from his'Real Fast Food' book that I had for Christmas. I didn't know he existed a year ago.

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  14. Willow,
    Homemade bean and ham soup with corn bread is my favoritest food ever!!!

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  15. A January meal indeed!
    Wonderful to have this ready for those friends that drop by on the weekend...I think I'm going to put some jalapeno peppers in my cornbread! Thank you for these wonderful recipes

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  16. tess thanks - another spark to keep the winter fire burning. steven

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  17. We have had no snow (indeed, it is suspiciously sunny at the moment) but still that cornbread looks rather tasty.

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  18. I'm off in search of a hambone today Tess (can you even buy just the bone?)
    I've 'borrowed' your Nigel Slater quote...it speaks to my heart.

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  19. I love soup, even our mild winters make me crave it. I'm wondering if this would be okay without the ham - probably not to you but I might give it a go. The cornbread, well the addition of choc' chips has me excited :)

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  20. Elizabeth and Jacqueline, if a ham bone is not handy, a chunk of ham, any kind will do!

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  21. Cro, navy beans are smaller than butter beans, closer to cannellini beans. But just about any beans can be used here.

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  22. Tess, those photographs are amazing! I could just dip a spoon into that bowl. And the cornbread looks great, too. Bean soup and cornbread. My kind of food!

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  23. yum, my appetite is stimulated. i have always loved corn bread and soup also. i can almost taste them!

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  24. This sounds fantastic. I love that there is cream in the cornbread.

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  25. Your post makes me feel warm and cared for. Thanks so much. I want to try your recipes. Amazon had a red pot, I ordered, I want to be a good cook, just like you! Thanks so much...it was you, who made me desire, red!
    You wear it well! A most creative post.

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  26. Farmchick, actually whole milk would do, but I don't buy it. I had skim and cream, so I split the difference.

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  27. This looks gorgeous, I save ham bones too (and the bone remains of roast chickens) and will definitely make this. The cornbread I may even make tonight, it looks fab!

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  28. Pea soup with ham is my husband's favourite food. Yours looks and sounds delicious!

    We're piling on the snowy inches here, too. Wool is big in our house right now.

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  29. this looks delicious!! and yes, soup warms the soul no matter what time of year.

    i'll have to try cooking soup in my oven. i've done stews, but never a soup. my mom has bought me a few good enameled dutch ovens over the years, so i'm all set!

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  30. Your photo is amazing! I have to tell you I've made the easy peasy "bundt pan chicken" (I have a "stone" bundt pan) 4 times already and I let it cool and then I slice the chicken, chop up the cooked carrots, onions and potatoes and add it to my chicken stock. Then I add whole wheat rice (cooked ahead of time) and egg noodles (I let them cook in the broth) . Sounds crazy - but my kids LOVE it. Makes two huge pans of soup, but it is gone quickly with 8 people in the family. I will try this ham & bean soup this weekend. Thank you.

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  31. yum. nothing better than soup or stew this time of year!

    looks like another winner!

    thank you.

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  32. Yum. That speaks to me! To a southerner, soup and corn bread says hospitality and warmth. :-)

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  33. I've never seen cream in cornbread! That must taste incredible. I've been feeling like baking some and I have cream left from random recipes. Thanks for the suggestion Tess! ; )

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  34. This sounds yummy! (We giraffes'll make the soup without the ham).

    I love sharing a meal with others, it is indeed a special time with caring, respect and love. But in our house, rarely quiet!!

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  35. The house is SO quiet these days. It seems like just yesterday the wild rumpus from three kids and a hundred pets was so loud I couldn't hear myself think!

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  36. This looks so good...one of my favorite meals....thanks for the recipes...bkm

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  37. loe your blog... just so stylish... glad I found it!

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  38. I stand accused of using some things to excess: extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, basil, olives and bitter salad leaves. I will accept criticism too for my overuse of berries, fruits and soft fresh cheeses, and I might as well admit addictions to anchovies and to dark, bitter and absurdly expensive chocolate, though thankfully not together.

    (Nigel Slater, Real Fast Food)

    A great food lover and a great food writer.

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  39. oh i love this, my friend


    i have been dying to make some bean soup....if this heat ever breaks...but it is cooler today....finally

    i just took bread out of the oven
    :-)

    let me know if you like the eggplant lasagne...i hope you do...


    kary
    xxx

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  40. R.A.D., Nigel is my kinda guy. Writing about food. What can be more enjoyable? Well, maybe eating it.

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  41. My dad loves bean and ham soup--his mother used to make it, and he only gets it now when he goes to the Cracker Barrel . . . I think I'm going to try your recipe and invite him over for dinner. Thanks!

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  42. oh my. i wanted to just climb into that picture!

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  43. Just for you a Stylish Blogger award! Have a look here:
    http://jaxxvixx.blogspot.com/2011/01/hey-sista.html

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  44. Tess -- that cornbread looks yummy. I think the soup looks great too but I haven't had meat for 25 years. Your photos have wonderful presentation.
    -- barbara

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  45. Hmmmm.. I love soup and think that soup especially has a many-layered meaning for me,tied in with nurturing and caring and memories of my mother who made soup that seemed to heal.

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  46. Homemade soups are a joy. Being a Southern girl, I like all kinds of beans and, often, use them in soups, with large ham hocks. I have a wonderful recipe for jalapeno corn bread that includes cream corn, jalapenos, and cheddar cheese - really yummy! Another soup recipe that gets raves is a mushroom leek bisque and a garbanzo bean bell pepper soup from Tampa's Gasparilla Cookbook.

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  47. I'm off to the market in a short while. One look at that picture and "ham bone" was added to my shopping list.

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  48. Well, I was planning on a chicken casserole for dinner today. Now I'm reconsidering! LOL Thanks, Tess. :-}

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  49. I have one more week of this darned diet required before my thyroid scan (3 weeks total of absolutely NOTHING that has tasted good) so when I am done next Friday, guess what will be on my list? Oh, did you mean 1/2 "CUP" of skim milk? I'm sure you did but I wanted to check before I make the cornbread so that it turns out as wonderful as yours! My husband makes a really great sweet cornbread recipe but the addition of the cream...over the top!

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  50. Your photos are as delectable as your recipes. That soup looks perfect for this frigid weather.

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  51. This does look very good. No snow here but plenty of rainy days in the wet season.

    There is something intimate and special about sharing food with others. When I lived in England many an impromptu, informal supper was held around the kitchen table - lights dimmed and candles in simple, elegant Waterford candle sticks added to the atmosphere.

    Here it BQU, BQU BQU!!!!.........

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  52. Postscript: (Or "duringscript?") Man does my place smell good.

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  53. Chocolate chips? *giggles*
    Maybe next time, in a Mexican version? ;-)


    I have not seen a ham bone since I left the States.
    There must be ham bones somewhere around here.
    When I find one, I'll use your recipe. Merci!

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  54. Soup and cornbread are perfect for these cold days.

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  55. Mmmmmmm...that looks great! I may have to try your soup recipe. Sounds delicious. I love that quotation, too!

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  56. Hi! Willow...
    What a nice "comfort" post...Thanks, for sharing the recipes too!
    DeeDee ;-D

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  57. The soup looks mouth watering, what a treat on a cold cold day, when I make a soup like this I always saute the vegies first, it makes quite a difference to the taste.
    If the cold is getting to you, just transport yourself to hot steamy Vietnam by watching "Scent of Green Papaya", a French production that is beautiful to watch.

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  58. Willow - looks tasty, although my southern roots rebel (pun!) at the thought of sugar in cornbread. "Real" cornbread is not sweet according to my grandmother, who made it by hand on a wood stove while my mom was growing up.

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  59. oh my.... looks divine! I can almost taste & smell it.

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  60. wondering how the lasagne was....

    hope it was good

    :-)

    kary
    xxx

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  61. January is when we always eat these things, because we have left over ham from Christmas and/or New Years day.
    Love the recipes and yummy photo!

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  62. Oh, Lord. These look heavenly. Thank you.

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  63. yum yum yum
    I'm going to buy a ham just so I can make this soup! I wouldn't mind having some snow to go with it, too. Yesterday we had a few flakes; nothing much, but an improvement over the gray wet weather we've had for weeks.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)