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
We are able to follow the history of `recipes` far back into the far past, in truth as far back as ancient Egypt, and possibly even further than that. Interesting though that maybe, generally, these ancient cook books were just very basic pictorial instructions for meal preparation.
The truth of the matter is, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to academics is a collection of tablets in Sumerian which describe the preparation 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 tried it feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. Progressing into The time of the roman empire 25BC a man called Apicius compiled some documents which described recipes cooked by wealthy roman citizens. In his works, he tells us how the roman meals were separated into hors d`oeuvre, main course and desserts, a style of dining still practiced today. He also describes how the ancient Romans used a good variety of aromatic flavors, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs such as basil, rue and asafoetida. Later on, we have two interesting recipe books which appeared in the 1300s - a book titled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary entitled `Curye on Inglish`. Perhaps surprisingly, these are not about the indian curry that is popular today, but instead recipes for the types of meals eaten by the rich and powerful of those days. Later on in the 1400s, knights returning from the crusades brought us many new foods and herbs from middle-east cuisine, including spices such as coriander, parsley, and basil. These new foods and spices prompted an increase in books on cooking, many of which are now in private libraries. For the centuries that followed, the wealthy families of Europe tried to offer the most exotic meals, and because of this chefs and their recipes could command a high salary. Nevertheless, it wasn`t until the nineteenth century that fine cooking and recipe collections rose to prominence. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Farmer in the USA, dedicated their lives to collecting, trying out, and publishing popular recipes of the day. By the time we get to the 20th century, recipe books were starting to become popular mostly as a result of higher levels of literacy, leisure time and having more money to spend. The introduction of the TV brought us celebrity TV chefs and the recipe books that accompanied them. And that neatly brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, permitting everyone to search through thousands of recipes such as those found on sites such as this. |
We hope you enjoy this Annie Mae Jones' Ham & Bean Soup recipe.
