Author Notes
It's fall and that means warm, comforting foods like soups and stews. It is a basic southern recipe but with a little Italian twist. I glaze my ham with a balsamic reduction and it complements the ham and beans very nicely. If you don't have access to an unccooked country ham, you can use this glaze on a prebaked ham and it will sweeten the ham nicely. I always serve a corn bread to crumble in and alongside the soup. Now in the south, there is a very wise adage that says "Your tea should be sweet, your cornbread should NOT" ...Since i usually like to serve this on a Sunday afternnon, I have to start the ham and stock the night before. You would think that I would soak my beans then...but no, never remember to soak the beans,,,they are there in my cupboard next to the cans of beans which i always end up using... —lorigoldsby
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Ingredients
- Country ham with balsamic glaze and bean soup
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1
spiral sliced country ham
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2 cups
brown sugar
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1 cup
balsamic vinegar
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1 tablespoon
each of ground clove, allspice and mace
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2--48 ounces
jars of Northern beans
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3
carrots, scrubbed
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2
inner celery stalks with leaves
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2-4
fresh bay leaves
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5-6
whole peppercorns
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1
onion, quartered
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4-6 sprigs
of thyme
- Southern Style Cornbread
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3/4 cup
corn meal
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1 1/4 cups
flour
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2 teaspoons
baking powder
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1 teaspoon
salt
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1 cup
buttermilk
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1/4 cup
canola oil
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2 tablespoons
bacon fat or butter
-
3 tablespoons
butter, melted
Directions
- Country ham with balsamic glaze and bean soup
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Simmer brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and spices in a small saucepan until reduced by half. It should be a nice syrupy consistancy. If you are using a pre-cooked ham, layer pan with foil, "fluff" out the ham a 1/16"inch and pour glaze on top/bottom of ham. Bake at 250-for 35-45 minutes.
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Remove ham from bone. Use bone to make a ham stock. Add vegetables, cover with water and simmer 2-4 hours. Add onion in and simmer another hour or two. Skim, strain and chill overnight. The chilled stock will become very gelationous.
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Bring stock up to a low boil and add 1 can of the northern beans, simmer 20 minutes (these are pre-cooked). Using a blender, puree the 2nd can of beans and add this to the simmering soup. Simmer while you make the cornbread.
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Add chunks fo ham to the soup. Optional..also add diced onions.
- Southern Style Cornbread
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Heat oven to 400 degrees. Use a metal pan and place 2 T. bacon fat or butter in pan and warm pan in oven.
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Mix together all dry ingerdients and then add all wet ingredients except melted butter. Pour into heated/greased pan. Pour melted butter on top. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden.
I learned to cook with my Gran. I can still see her reading a recipe and figuring out how she would make it better. She was fearless about substituting ingredients--but also knowledgeable. She approached food in the same way she built her antique business--appreciate quality ingredients and workmanship, but don't be a snob. I think I carry those same beliefs in my approach to cooking. I love family style dinners, I love a fancy ladies' luncheon with my wedding china, or a backyard seafood boil to celebrate my husband's birthday...I love to share food with others.
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