Ingredients
|
1 or 2 ham hocks
1 whole Portuguese sausage, diced 1 large (28oz) can or 2 (18oz) cans diced or whole tomatoes 1-2 onions, chopped 2 large carrots or handfuls of baby carrots, chopped 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped 1 can dark red kidney beans |
2-3 whole bay leaves
Marjoram Parsley Hawaiian salt and black pepper, to taste |
What To Do
Day 1
Make sure you have about 5 hours for this. It's a long, but low-maintenance, queue-up-Netflix kind of task.
Set out a plate and line it with a paper towel. Dice up Portuguese sausage and brown well in the dutch oven. Remove from dutch oven and put it on the prepped plate to drain.
Add ham hocks and enough water to cover them. Low boil for about 4 hours until the hocks fall apart. Check on it between Netflix episodes and add water if necessary. You want a thin ramen-like broth. You will know it's done when the ham bones are clean. Skim out the hocks, skin, fat, bones, marrow (i.e., everything except the meat). Add the Portuguese sausage back to the pot, and bring just to boil.
Remove from heat and let it cool a bit. Cover pot and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2 Soup making proper will take about 2 hours.
Chop all the vegetables and set aside. Open the can of kidney beans and drain them with running water.
Take the cover off the pot. The entire thing should jiggle like meat JellO. While the pot is still cold, immediately skim off layer of congealed fat from the surface. This is a gross, but necessary step.
Return the pot to the stove. Heat until it's back to a liquid and add chopped onions, parsley, bay leaves, marjoram, and pepper. When the onions are soft, add the tomatoes and smash any of the larger pieces up. Add carrots and celery and simmer for about 45 min. Add kidney beans and simmer for about 30 min. Adjust with salt and pepper to your taste.
Eat with bread or rice. Or both and freeze the rest, unless you're feeding a crowd.
Make sure you have about 5 hours for this. It's a long, but low-maintenance, queue-up-Netflix kind of task.
Set out a plate and line it with a paper towel. Dice up Portuguese sausage and brown well in the dutch oven. Remove from dutch oven and put it on the prepped plate to drain.
Add ham hocks and enough water to cover them. Low boil for about 4 hours until the hocks fall apart. Check on it between Netflix episodes and add water if necessary. You want a thin ramen-like broth. You will know it's done when the ham bones are clean. Skim out the hocks, skin, fat, bones, marrow (i.e., everything except the meat). Add the Portuguese sausage back to the pot, and bring just to boil.
Remove from heat and let it cool a bit. Cover pot and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2 Soup making proper will take about 2 hours.
Chop all the vegetables and set aside. Open the can of kidney beans and drain them with running water.
Take the cover off the pot. The entire thing should jiggle like meat JellO. While the pot is still cold, immediately skim off layer of congealed fat from the surface. This is a gross, but necessary step.
Return the pot to the stove. Heat until it's back to a liquid and add chopped onions, parsley, bay leaves, marjoram, and pepper. When the onions are soft, add the tomatoes and smash any of the larger pieces up. Add carrots and celery and simmer for about 45 min. Add kidney beans and simmer for about 30 min. Adjust with salt and pepper to your taste.
Eat with bread or rice. Or both and freeze the rest, unless you're feeding a crowd.
Notes and Talking Story
- My mom's doesn't use chopped cabbage or potatoes. Like macaroni salad, most Hawai'i families have their own version of Portuguese Bean Soup.
- Time is the 'secret' ingredient. Soup needs to sit, ideally while you have something else to do in the house. The payoff is that it makes enough for an army so you can freeze portions for another day.
- Note to empty-nesters: Freeze in smaller increments for yourselves, or to send back with your baby birdies if you are lucky enough to have them living nearby.
- On adding macaroni
Macaroni most definitely does Not Freeze Well At All, so separate out the portion that you'll save before you add macaroni. - To add macaroni, add a bit more water to the soup and bring to a rolling boil. Drop in about three handfuls of macaroni and just slightly undercook per the directions, maybe 30-45 seconds short. The soup will get a little thicker and you may need to add a bit more salt.
