Man, I love leftovers during the holday season. Especially if the weather is cold, as it has been here in Arizona. Today, we are dealing with leftover ham and making a hearty soup. Like everything else, super easy, super delicious and it makes quite bit.

Christmas Ham Soup

For this you will need the left over bits of ham, you know, the tough parts from the end that nobody likes on sandwhiches because they are too tough. They work perfect for this recipe, especially if they are both tough and have a bit of extra fat.

Ingredients

• Ham, the fattiest pieces, diced, about 2 cups
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 medium yellow or brown onion, diced
• 2 russet potatoes, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
• 1/2 12oz bottle of brown beer
• 2 tbls olive oil
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp cumin
• Water to cover
• 1 tbls red wine or apple cider vinegar
• Salt & pepper to taste

Cooking

In your dutch oven or sturdiest soup pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat until it’s hot. Add the ham pieces and saute for 2 minutes. Drop the heat to medium and continue to cook until most of the fat is rendered and the ham is nicely browned. This will take about 5-7 minutes.

Add the carrots, onion, celery and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the beer. scrape the bottom of the pan to get the brown ham bits and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and cover with water. Add the spices and garlic and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to low and let cook with the lid on for 45 minutes. Finish with parsley and vinegar.

Mods

• Add 1 can of black beans
• Add a corn starch slurry and let it cook for an additional 10 minutes to thicken
• Use white wine instead of beer and skip the vinegar. I would use a pinot gringo or something equally light, not a chardonnay.
• Use the entire beer!

If this turns out correctly, you should have an amazing ham flavor with a hint of cinnamon. I thought it turned out really nice, hearty enough to be a meal but not so heavy to be a stew.

I know I have shared this one on Facebook. Imagine my shock when I discovered that I haven’t added it to the collection here at donburnside.com. Let’s change that, shall we?

This is a great recipe when you want something light and quick. It’s only vegetables, but the mushrooms add a meaty texture. This is enough for 2.

Ingredients

• Zuchinni 2 large
• White Mushroom, 1 blue box
• Marinara sauce, about 1 cup
• Garlic, 4 cloves (go crazy here)
• Salt, 2tsp
• Olive oil, 2TBLS
• Parmesean cheese as needed

Preparation

We are looking for bite sized pieces, maybe a little larger. Cut the mushrooms into 1/4s. For the zucchini, I split them and cut into 1/2″ pieces. Finally, smash the garlic.

COOK IT!

In your straight sided saute pan, heat the oil on medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic and salt and cook until the mushrooms start to get some color and wilt, about 5-6 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook until they are the texture you want. I usually go about another 5-6 minutes here, just long enough to take the crunch out. Turn the heat to low and add your sauce, toss to coat.

I serve this in pasta bowls, topped with cheese as pictured above.

Additions/Mods

I’ve grilled the zucchini and mushrooms for a different flavor/texture. You can add diced chicken breast for a protein boost. Go crazy and serve it over rice or pasta as well.