Ham & Bean Soup

Delicious dinner tonight, with Vicky slaving over at the kitchen stove, putting together a Spanish dish using Chinese ham.  Digressing a bit from the HK travelogues, here is the Ham & Bean Soup recipe of Vicky, which I better write down before I forget:

1 leg of Chinese ham

3 heads of garlic, chopped

2 onions, sliced

500 grams of white kidney beans

8 medium sized potatoes, sliced into chunks

3 medium sized carrots, sliced

500 grams of abitsuelas (Baguio beans)

300 grams of chopped cabbage

2 pork cubes

Soak white kidney beans overnight.  Slice meat of ham leg into bite size portions and set aside.  Retain the ham bones.  In a large soup cauldron, sautee garlic and onions.  Lower heat and add ham meat and 2 pork cubes.  Drain white kidney beans and add to the cauldron.  Add around 5-7 liters of water (depending on the size of your ham leg), and add ham bones.  Increase heat and bring to a boil.  After 10 minutes, reduce heat and boil for another 30 minutes.  Lower heat and add potatoes.  Boil for another 10 minutes and add carrots.  Boil for another 5 minutes and add abitsuelas and cabbage.  Serve piping hot.

Perfect for a cold night!