Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Chunky Ham & Vegetable Soup ala Beancounter


I’m a firm believer in letting the season decide what you should serve on your table. Not only are the fruits and vegetables in season at their very best they’re also at their cheapest.


Parsnips, turnips, swedes and other root vegetables are plentiful throughout the cold months in Australia. That is why it is only during winter when I cook my chunky soup.


A friend who’s tried it (thanks Carla and the rest of the Evangelistas) actually requested I blog ‘bout it. They recently moved to Sydney and therefore lost “free” access to my soup.


Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!


Chunky Ham & Vegetable Soup ala Beancounter

1 ham hock (discard the skin, chop the meat)
250g soup mix grains (lentils, split peas and barley)
1 turnip cubed
1 parsnip cubed
1 swede cubed
1 carrot cubed
1 desiree potato cubed
1 stick celery chopped
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
Stock
Salt to taste
A little bit of oil

1. Using a stock pot heat up a bit of oil. Sauté the onion, garlic, celery and carrot for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the ham hock meat and cook for a minute.
3. Add the soup mix grains.
4. Add the vegetables.
5. Pour in enough stock to cover the vegetables plus about an inch more. You can add more stock if you want a more soupy consistency.
6. Simmer for about an hour then check for taste. Add more salt if necessary.
7. Serve steaming hot with some crusty sourdough baguette.

7 comments:

LCAAAa said...

Thank you so much for posting it on time, it's on the menu for this weeks dinner. You're super good!!!! And we miss your cooking.

The Beancounter said...

No probs LCAAAa... may request pa ba?

Lory said...

Hmmmm...I tend to do the same. I usually buy several veggies from the grocery store, then forget about them, then when I find the time to finally cook them, I think of how to cook them...usually stir-fried with or without some soup and some meat. As long as they are fresh (and crunchy-cooked), they are awesome!

Tangled Noodle said...

I have to ask: what's a swede? 8-)

Although seasons do affect what I crave, I can tell you that I'll eat soup any time of the year! My favorites are creamy ones but since they should be occasional for the obvious reasons, then chunky, bean-y and veggie-laden soups are the best! Your friends made a tough decision to move so far away from you . . .!

The Beancounter said...

Hello there Manang! Yup, stir fry is always good!

The Beancounter said...

Hello TN! You might be more familiar with the term "rutabaga" or "neeps"...downunder it's called "swede"... don't know why, was it from Sweden orginally?

The Beancounter said...

Hahahaha! My cooking was not "persuasive" enough to make LCAAAa stay in Brisbane! hehehehe... I'll see them in a couple of months time...