Ham and Cabbage Soup

By Booper-2

A simple soup made from a chicken broth base, with leftover baked ham, bacon, a ham hock and cabbage.

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 1 cup of chopped carrots
• 1/4 cup of chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 1 cup of chopped ham
• 1 medium ham hock
• 1 quart of chicken stock or broth
• 1 quart of water
• 1/2 tablespoon of chicken base (like Better Than Bouillon)
• 3 cups of peeled, chopped potatoes (not diced)
• 4 cups of thickly shredded cabbage
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama)
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme

Preparation

Step 1

Add the bacon to a Dutch oven or large heavy pot and cook until fat is rendered. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook about 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and ham. Slash the ham hock lightly with a knife and add that; pour in the chicken stock and water. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce and simmer for 1 hour if possible; 30 minutes at minimum.

Stir in the chicken base, potatoes, cabbage, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the thyme; taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Remove bay leaf and serve. I used Kitchen basics

which is an excellent commercial stock product. You can also simply use 2 quarts of water if you prefer, however, let the ham hock simmer for the full hour if you do. Can also increase the amount of cabbage if you like, and substitute or add in some sliced, smoked sausage browned in a bit of olive oil, for the bacon if you prefer. Substitute or add in a can of white beans for the potatoes.I make this! We call it Cabbage and Potato soup.