Although I have never been to Tuscany – it’s on my bucket list – foods based on the Tuscan tradition of simplicity, availability, quality, and economy seem to fit perfectly with my style of cooking. And eating.
Tuscans want their soups to have BIG flavour — so do I!
Cannellini beans are in basically every Tuscan dish — and only a handful of mine. đŸ™‚
Sadly, there are no truffles to be found in Smalltown, Minnesota, but they are also a staple of Tuscan cooking. It’s not a big enough deal to cry over.
I mean, SERIOUSLY! Who wouldn’t want to go there?!? (I found this photo on go-today to fuel my daydreaming…)
In the days following Easter, there is always a hambone to deal with, so I toss it into the pressure cooker for 30 minutes with 6 cups of water to make broth. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, just let it simmer on the stove for at least an hour.
Remove the bone and allow it to cool enough so you can pull off the remaining meat. If you chill the broth so the fat solidifies, it is super simple to skim and discard.
Chop the onion, carrots, celery and potatoes. Because this is a hearty peasant dish, find that happy medium between dainty soup-sized dice and manly stew-sized chunks. Would they be called “dunks“?
In a large soup pot, cook the onion, carrots and celery in olive oil for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic for another 2 minutes. So pretty. So colourful!
Stir in the white wine, and allow it to reduce by half. Then you can add the skimmed ham broth, potatoes, and sage.
Cover, and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.
Add in 2 cups diced ham (leftovers!), the cannellini beans, and tomatoes. Once that returns to a boil, toss in the kale. (Remove tough ribs from the kale.) Give the kale a minute or two to wilt. Season to taste – remembering how salty ham is before automatically dumping more salt in.
Serve the soup topped with grated parmesan cheese, a glass of chianti, and dream of Tuscany.
Tuscan Ham Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 mins
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Simple and hearty, with a taste of Tuscany
Ingredients
- Hambone
- 6 cups water
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3–4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 tsp rubbed sage
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 cups cooked ham, chopped
- 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups torn kale leaves, stripped from tough ribs
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the hambone in 6 cups water – 30 minutes on high pressure for a pressure cooker, or at least 1 hour on the stove
- Remove meat from the bone, strain broth, and allow to cool so you can skim off the excess fat
- In a large soup pot, cook onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil for 5 minutes
- Add the minced garlic, and cook another 2 minutes
- Pour in the wine, and allow to reduce by half
- Add the ham broth and potatoes, rubbed sage, and pepper
- Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until vegetables are tender
- Add the ham, cannellini beans, and tomatoes and return to a simmer
- Stir in the kale, and allow to wilt – about 2 minutes
- Serve topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 mins
