In my lifetime, I have found that one of the simplest things to make for larger groups of people, for example FAMILY, are soups (or fajitas, but that’s a whole other blog post). This past weekend, after making the promise to Rory’s family to make something spectacular for dinner, and unsure of how many folks might show up, I went straight for one of my fav family recipes: Green Bean, Ham & Potato soup. This recipe has, well… it’s been in my life since I could chew! Both my mom and grandma make it, and still do when I visit Ohio…so I decided to take their very basic recipe, and add my own flare!
Of course you start this one off by adding green beans, ham and potatoes. Duh…that is the name of the soup after all. It is totally ok to use frozen green beans on this one. This particular recipe is only for one batch, so I typically buy 1 pound of frozen beans, rather than spending the time breaking and washing them, unless of course it is summer and I have grown them, ☺. You will also need 4-5 potatoes, any variety will do, cubed, skin can be left on or peeled. I tend to like a larger quantity of potatoes, so just start cutting until you have as much as you desire. Ahh…and then the yummy salty ham. I do not recommend using honey or sweet ham as this soup isn’t intended to be sweet. It’s a saltier variety! I typically buy a whole ham and cube it up, put it in containers and freeze it so it’s ready to rock n’ roll when I need it fast! You can also buy cubed ham at your local grocery. Throw all of this into a big pot, and add just enough water to be above the beans/ham/potatoes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter for taste, several shakes of Worcestershire sauce (careful, not too much), 1 small chopped onion, and 1-2 tablespoons of minced garlic. Once all of this is added, go crazy with the salt, pepper & red pepper flakes if you like it spicy! We prefer soup in our house a bit peppery, so it tends to get LOTS of attention. Let the soup boil for about an hour and a half…then comes the fun part, tasting it…as every good chef does.
Don’t be afraid to add things like celery salt, or even some other varieties of spices to change your soup up. Last weekend I used a little cumin to make it a bit smokey and it turned out fabulous. A little goes a long way! Personally, we like it simple because that is what tastes the best!
Bon appetite! :)
