Autumn Garden Soup

From The Old Farmer's Almanac Garden-Fresh Cookbook

Soups, Stews, Chowders Recipes | Vegetables Recipes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• 1 ham bone
• 1/4 cup chopped salt pork
• 1 clove garlic
• several sprigs parsley
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped, or handful of celery leaves
• 1 cup fresh shell beans*
• a few leaves each of mint, marjoram, basil, rosemary, and thyme
• 4 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 pound fresh spinach or other greens, trimmed and chopped
• 1 cup pureed winter squash or pumpkin
• salt and pepper, to taste
• grated cheese, for garnish

Put the ham bone into a large stockpot, cover with water, and simmer over medium heat for 1 hour. In a frying pan, cook the salt pork until the fat is released. Add the garlic, parsley, onions, carrots, and celery and saute lightly, without browning. Remove the ham bone from the pot and skim any fat from the stock. Cut off any bits of meat from the ham bone and return them to the soup. Add the onion and carrot mixture to the ham broth and simmer for 1 hour. Add the beans, herbs, tomatoes, spinach, and squash. Simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot, with a sprinkling of grated cheese.

*You can substitute for fresh shell beans with 1/2 cup dried navy beans or soldier beans cooked in unsalted water, or fresh green or wax beans.

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