Lentil Bean and Ham Soup – Chef Gosselin Style

Record high temperatures in my home town. Weather is cutting into my desire to make a continuous chain of fine tasting soups and stews. I usually make two different types of soup per week in the cold weather. It is fitting and filling to have a warm stock or even a thick and hearty stew in cold weather. A good lentil bean soup or split pea is that which I create when I have a nice ham bone at my disposal.  I made a nice ham for Christmas dinner. The BONE is at my disposal. Let’s Make a Lentil Bean and Ham soup….. plus I will bake a baguette and test a new baking toy that my sister in law offered.

Ham Stock Preparation

This may seem a bit out of design but I use a ham bone rendered in a chicken stock. So…. I have prepared a 1 gallon container of chicken stock by cooking a whole fryer in my slow cooker for a full day and a half ( the meat gets shredded for my horde of very wonderful furry pet family Photos of my Family )

I place my meaty ham bone in the crock pot with 1 gallon of my fresh chicken stock after I have allowed the chicken stock to cool and placed it in the refrigerator over night where the chicken fat gels at the top. I skim the chicken fat and place the stock in the crock again to now render the marrow in my ham bone and allow the chucks of ham to fall off the bone.

1 ea ham bone

1 gallon of chicken stock (fat removed)

Place the ham bone in the chicken stock and allow it to simmer in your crockpot on low for a full day.

Remove bone

Place ham stock in covered container and allow to cool to room temperature and place in refrigerator over night.

Skim fat off ham stock after it has sat over night

You now have created the typical ham bone stock with meat chunks that I use to create my split pea or lentil bean soups

 

Soup preparation

4 carrots , peeled and chopped

6 celery stalks, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups Kale, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried Basil

1/2 tsp dried Oregano

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried Thyme

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups dried lentils

 

Place in a large stock pot the olive oil

Bring temperature of oil to med hi

Add Onion, carrot and celery

Sweat the veggies until the onion become clear

Add thyme, bay leaf, oregano, pepper, salt, basil and garlic

Add gallon of ham stock

Bring to low boil and back off the heat until the veggies are cooked through

Add Kale and cook for 10 min

Add lentils and cook for about 20-25 min (until lentils are tender)

 

Serve with a Chef Gosselin crusty baguette or hard roll. Ahhhhhhhhhhh….what a delicious meal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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