Michael Trew wrote:

> I was given the ham bone from my mother's Easter dinner, and I'm
> making it into a ham stock (which I've never done with ham before).
> The ham had a brown sugar glaze on it, and some is left in the dish,
> so it will have a sweet hint to it.
>
> What's a simple, cheap soup or whatever that I can make out of it? I
> don't know the first thing about ham stock/soup, but I have left over
> bits of ham and plenty of canned beans/tomatoes/pantry staples here.
> Also a head of cabbage. Looking for supper ideas; thanks!

Well, you pretty much have it in the bag there!

I make stocks all the time but for this one, I find a single bone and
some meat doesn't make a strong stock. I add some pork stock fixings
(Minors I think for pork is what I have).

2 easy routes here. Stock takes time to develop fully. If stove
topping, 2 hours at least is my rule of thumb. I use a crockpot so this
one would be ready in 12-20 hours depending on types of dried beans I
used.

If going with canned beans: rinse them and add 2 cans of your 'stock'
to 1 can broth. Your standard can has close to 16oz. If stovetopping,
remove bone from broth then measure it roughly and add beans.
Sometimes I like it pure just like that, adding only 1/2 onion and some
minced garlic. Other times I frilll it up with some canned diced
tomatoes (and the juice of those cans). Consider the RoTel ones with
spices as part of that (or a knock-off version but with green chiles).
My neighbor does one with spicy V8 but we need lower sodium for Don.

Spices to add really depend on you and your own tastes. Think in the
direction of garlic, onion, black pepper, mild chile powder.

Now you also have a setup for a veggie soup (add no beans or optionally
just a few at serving time like some canned black beans). This time
also diced tomatoes, 1 of RoTel or similar, onion, probaly some garlic,
but need to expand the veggies a bit to make it really good. Look in
crisper for summer squashes (yellow/green), green beans, other cabbage
types for the blending of flavors. Leek whites do well here. Carrots
cut fairly thin. Thin cut turnip, thin cut radish (not too much).
Pasta isn't normally added to cabbage soups but a small amount,
precooked and added to serving adds interest.

Bean types: Black beans heated separately and added at serving time is
nice. Canned red, pinto, blackeyes. Dried, large limas, blackeyes,
navy, great northern.