After a holiday meal when ham is served, I usually make soup. But if that doesn’t work, I make sure to pop the ham bone into a freezer-safe bag and toss it into the freezer. That ham bone is later used to make a delicious pot of home-style split pea soup. An easy recipe using either dry yellow or green split peas with carrots, onion and celery that is nutritious and budget-friendly.
So, using a meaty ham bone I tossed into a freezer bag while cleaning up after Christmas dinner, I began by making stock.
The bone was still frozen when I placed it into a pot with coarsely chopped veggies.
Bring to a boil,
Ham Stock
PRINT RECIPE
large ham bone, preferable with some meat still attached
8+ cups water to almost cover
2 large carrot, sliced into large chunks
2 large onion, quartered
4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
5-10 peppercorns
No need to add salt
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage (about 4 links), casings removed (I substituted Brats)
1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into large dice (about 2 cups)
1 medium red onion, cut into large dice
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and cut into large dice (about 2 cups), plus 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds for garnish
3 tablespoons dry sherry
4 cups lower-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used about 1/8 cup)
1/4 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained (I substituted bell pepper and added them with the onion)
2 tablespoons heavy cream (I used fat-free half & half)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (I did not need additional salt)
Direction:
Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring with a wooden spatula to break it up into small pieces, until it starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in potato, onion, and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add sherry and stir, scraping bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits, about 30 seconds.
Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, heavy cream, and lemon zest and stir until incorporated.
Using spatula or a potato masher, gently crush cooked potatoes until most of them are mashed and stew is somewhat thickened. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Serve hot, garnished with fennel fronds.
Yield: 4 servings.
NOTE: I lightly mashed the potatoes leaving more bite-sized pieces.
This Ina Garten recipe for Italian wedding soup caught my attention because the meatballs are made from ground chicken instead of ground beef. The tender meatballs also include ground chicken sausage. These plus pasta and vegetables fill this easy recipe for a classic soup that is delicious!Continue Reading
I have several standby recipes for leftover chicken, but this time decided to make a basic chicken salad as a filling for a can of crescent rolls that have been in the fridge.INGREDIENTS
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise
fresh herbs (I used chives, parsley and small amount of Rosemary)
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Gently toss all of the ingredients together until combined.
Can be served on a plate of lettuce leaves, on a Croissant or bread of choice.
To make Chicken Salad Crescent Rolls, spoon a scant 1/4 cup of the chicken salad onto each triangle and roll-up. Bake on baking sheet @375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. (I had more than enough filling to make 8 roll-ups)
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DIRECTIONS:
In large saucepan, combine chicken broth and water. Add wild rice and green onions; cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover simmer 35-40 minutes or until rice is tender.
Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In medium saucepan, melt butter: stir in flour, salt, poultry seasoning and pepper. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly; until smooth and bubbly.
Gradually stir in half-and-half; cook until slightly thickened; stirring constantly.
Slowly add half-and-half mixture into rice mixture; stirring constantly.
Add cubed turkey, bacon, pimento and sherry.
Heat gently, stirring frequently; do not boil. Garnish each serving with additional green onion and bacon.
NOTE: Â You can tell this is an old recipe because I don’t think Campbell’s makes cans of condensed chicken broth any more.
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Fresh Tomato Bisque is a recipe that our daughter made for her dad’s birthday dinner. We enjoyed it so much that I made another batch today. It isn’t heavy and has a really lovely, fresh tomato and basil flavor. Reminds me of summer 🙂Continue Reading