The Recipe Box

The freezer's packed, and the vegetable drawer needs some room made, and so I present...

Fridge Cleaner Ham-n-Bean Soup:

1 pound dried beans - soaked, washed, and picked
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 head chopped garlic
1 small white onion, chopped
1 cup carrots with skin on, sliced thin
1 cup of celery, sliced thin
1 large, meaty ham bone
2 quarts of liquid - I used 1 quart of chicken stock and 1 quart of vegetable stock.
2 tablespoons of coarse-ground prepared mustard
Bay leaves (I used three small ones)
1 cup diced potato - optional

In a heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat two tablespoons of olive oil and add the garlic, onion, celery and carrots and cook, stirring constantly until the onion is translucent. Add the ham bone, beans, mustard and bay leaves, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are tender and the meat is falling off the ham bone. If you're adding the potato, do it about 45 minutes after you start the simmer.

If you need to add more liquid, try using a flavorful ale or porter, it's delish!

Remove the bone, chop the meat and add it back to the soup, then serve.

I'm serving this with my favorite bread recipe - from the New York Times and never-ever-fails:

( OMNOMNOMNOM )

Spicy Polenta-Cheese Crackers

Really delicious with soups, cheese and salami, or just on their own.