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Mark's Bean Soup and
Mark's Split Pea Soup
Leftover ham from Easter or Christmas? I make one of these soups anytime I have a spare ham bone.
You may wonder, "Why are there so many soup recipes on this website?" The reason is I usually make a pot of soup every week... it's economical and a hearty addition to any sandwich for lunch.
| Ingredients: | |
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| Bean Soup | |
Split Pea
Soup | |
(Notes) |
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| 1 lb. dry beans | |
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Feel free to use any type of dry beans you wish. I like great Northern beans best, but the 16-bean mix is a nice change of pace. Beans need to soak to soften before you cook them. Put the beans into a pot, then fill it with vegetable stock if you've got it, water if you don't. Bring the beans to a boil, then cover the pot, remove from heat, and let it sit overnight. The next day is the day you'll make your soup. It's only a little trouble to go through, but well worth it! |
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1 lb. dry split peas | |
Peas don't need to soak nearly as long as beans. Put the peas into a pot, then fill it with water. Bring the peas to a boil, then cover the pot, remove from heat, and let sit for one hour. |
| A large ham bone and 1½-2 cups diced ham | |
A large ham bone and 1½-2 cups diced ham | |
Add to the beans or peas and bring the soup to a second boil. Skip the bone if you don't have one. A half-pound of diced fried bacon is a nice substitute in either... diced cooked pork also works in the pea soup. |
| 1 cup diced onion | |
½ cup diced onion |
| 1 cup diced carrot | |
1 cup diced carrot |
| 1 diced potato | | | |
No potato in the pea soup. Dice the vegetables finely enough that nothing is larger than the beans. |
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2-3 hours. Halfway through the simmer, remove the ham bone (if you're using one), let it cool, then cut off any remaining meat from it and return it to the pot.
Garnish the bean soup with diced raw onion on top. If you refrigerate either when you're done the soup will get pretty thick... you may want to add a little water when reheating. Pea soup freezes better than bean soup. If you do freeze it, be careful when reheating as the beans can easily turn into mush.
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