1 cup white beans,dried
2 qt water,more if needed
1 bone from baked ham*
1 bay leaf
3 parsley sprigs
1 onion,large,mild**
1 salt
1 pepper
Directions
* - leftover ham bone with plenty of leftover meat.
** - peeled & quartered.
1. Cover the beans with water and soak overnight.
2. Drain beans and place in soup pot, add water, ham bone, bay leaf,
parsley, onion. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, partially cover,
and let simmer very gently until the beans are tender. Add more water
if needed. Remove and discard bay leaf. Remove ham bone, cut off all
meat, and return it to the pot. Remove about 1 cup of the beans and a
little bean liquid. Mash to a paste and stir this into the pot to
thicken soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. If desired, thin soup
with milk.
Servings: 6 servings
Annie Mae Jones' Ham & Bean Soup Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bean; Ham; Meat; Pork; Soup
The History of Recipes
It is possible to read the history of meal recipes back into history, certainly as far back into history as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and possibly even further. Interesting though that maybe, these, ancient cookbooks were just basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for food preparation.
In an interesting twist, the oldest recipe found, according to food historians are a few tablets in ancient Sumerian describing the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel exhilarated and blissful. Much later, in Roman times a roman called Apicius wrote some documents detailing recipes cooked by his fellow Romans. In his scrolls, he tells us how the roman meals were split into hors d`oeuvres, entrees and dessert, a style of dining still practiced today. This early Roman chef tells us how the cooks of his times were skilled in the use of many different herbs, including a few you will know like bay, mint and asafoetida. Continuing our culinary historical journey, we find some recipe books which were published in the 14th Century ; a book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary entitled `Curye on Inglish`. Don`t be fooled by the titles though, these books are nothing to do with the indian food that is popular today, but instead descriptions of the types of food prepared for the rich and powerful of that time. Later on, in the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought back many foods and spices from the East, such as basil and coriander. The introduction of these new foods and spices caused a surge in recipe manuscripts, many of which are now in academic collections. Over the succeeding few hundred years, the powerful and wealthy houses competed to offer the most extravagent meals, and as a result cooks and their recipe collections could command a high salary. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the 1800s that haute cuisine and recipe collections became popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the US, devoted much of their lives to assembling, verifying, and publishing recipes to allow everyone to enjoy them. When we get to the twentieth century, cook books are in great demand, as a result of increased literacy, more free time and having more money to spend. |
We hope you enjoy this Annie Mae Jones' Ham & Bean Soup recipe.
