Ham and Potato Soup: Quick and Simple Real Food

Get ready for this.  A flavorful soup with just two ingredients (okay, three if you count the water), that's good for you (mmm...that bone broth), and can be done in just less than an hour (really). 

If you like, add a little cream, sour cream, or cream cheese to finish.  Sprinkle the top with green onions, shredded cheddar, croutons or freshly ground black pepper.  Make it your own.  Or stop right here with just the two ingredients.  That's what I'm doing today.  Keeping it real.

If you don't have a pressure cooker, feel free to cook this for several hours in a slow cooker or a covered pot in a low oven.  You'll get great results, just not quick ones.  Keep this recipe in mind for the leftovers of your after-Easter ham.

Quick and Easy Pressure-Cooked Ham and Potato Soup

1 pound ham hocks (or a large, meaty leftover ham bone)
2 pounds (more or less) potatoes

Place rack in bottom of pressure cooker per manufacturer's instructions.  Place ham hocks or ham bone on rack.

Add about 2 cups of water to cooker, place lid on and heat over high heat until steady stream pours out of valve.

Place weight on valve.   Once weight begins hissing or rattling (will depend on your particular cooker) reduce heat just enough to keep weight hissing or rattling.  Begin timer and cook for 45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut in to cubes of approximately 1 inch.  Keep potatoes covered with water until ham has finished cooking.

Remove cooker to sink and reduce pressure by running cold water over cooker.  Carefully remove lid and set aside.  Spoon out ham hocks with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Drain potatoes and add to liquid in pot.  Add about 1/2 cup additional water.  Replace lid and return to high heat on the stove.

When a steady stream of steam is coming from valve, replace weight.  When hissing or rocking begins, adjust heat as before and begin timer to cook for 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, pick ham from bones and set aside.  Discard bones or save to make more stock.

After potatoes have cooked for 6 minutes, remove from heat and reduce pressure using cold water method.  Carefully remove lid.

Using tongs, carefully remove rack from pot.  Add ham pieces to pot and stir vigorously to break up some of the potatoes to thicken the soup.  Transfer soup to serving bowl or tureen and serve.

Makes about 4 servings.

Sausage and Cabbage Skillet

The end of December found me with a head of Napa cabbage that I'd bought for a different recipe that I ended up not making.  Further scrounging in the fridge netted some very flavorful pan juices from our Christmas ham, half an onion, and some carrots.  With barley from the pantry and a pound of spicy pork breakfast sausage from the freezer, I came up with this.

Shane and I loved it (Kat wasn't home to try it), and I'll be making it again.  It's a great flex recipe.  Use any kind of cabbage or fresh greens instead of Napa cabbage.  Try it with mild sausage, Italian sausage, or chorizo.  Use rice or quinoa instead of barley, although I do recommend cooking the grain in a flavorful broth instead of plain water.  All the better if the broth is homemade.

This can easily be a one-dish meal, and makes four servings if you eat like a normal person.  If you pig out like we did that night, don't expect more than two servings.

Sausage and Cabbage Skillet

1/2 cup barley
1-1/2 cups meat or vegetable stock (I used ham stock)
1 pound pork breakfast sausage
1 head Napa cabbage or any other cabbage or greens
1/2 large onion, sliced into strips
1 carrot, peeled and grated
salt and pepper as desired (will depend on the sausage and stock you use; I didn't add any)

Rinse barley and put in small saucepan with stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and barley is tender.

Meanwhile, brown sausage in a large skillet or Dutch oven.  Drain fat if necessary, but leave about 2 Tablespoons of drippings in the pan. 

Chop Napa cabbage, or slice into 1/2-inch strips and add to sausage in pan, along with onion strips and grated carrot.  Cook and stir mixture over medium-high heat until vegetables are tender.  Cover and keep mixture warm until barley has finished cooking.

Once barley is tender, stir into cabbage and sausage mixture. 

Serve hot.

Pork Chops in Onion-Mushroom Gravy

In the interest of cooking "real food" and trying to get away from most processed foods, I've revamped a family-favorite recipe here. This is something I used to make with condensed cream of mushroom soup and dry onion soup mix. Now I use fresh mushrooms, fresh dairy, and fresh onions. It only takes a few minutes longer to make, and in my opinion, tastes better.

Pork Chops In Onion-Mushroom Gravy

Bacon grease or oil of choice
4 pork chops, boneless or bone-in, trimmed of fat
1 medium onion, diced
4 ounces (half a carton) button mushrooms, sliced or chopped
3 Tablespoons flour
2 cups meat stock (I used pork, but could use beef or even chicken)
1/2 cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 300°F.

In a large skillet (preferrably oven-proof), heat 2 tablespoons of bacon grease, then brown all chops on both sides.  Remove chops to plate and keep warm

In same skillet, add additional bacon grease if needed, then saute chopped onions and mushrooms until onions are tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in flour and cook for about 1 minute, adding small amount of additional bacon grease if needed.  Whisk in meat stock and half-and-half.  Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes until gravy thicken and flour loses raw taste.  Season as desired with salt and pepper.

Return chops to skillet or transfer to an oven-safe baking dish.  Pour or spoon gravy over top.  Cover skillet with lid or baking dish with foil. 

Bake for 75 to 90 minutes or until chops are very tender.  If gravy is too thin after cooking, thicken further with a cornstarch or arrowroot slurry.

Serves 4.

Herbed Pork Loin with Roasted Potatoes

 
This dish takes a few hours to make in the oven, but it's worth the time.


Herbed Pork Loin with Roasted Potatoes

Pork Loin:

1 (2-1/2 to 3 pound) boneless pork loin roast
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 Tablespoon dry parsley (or 1/2 cup packed chopped fresh parsley)
1-1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage (or 1-1/2 Tablespoons fresh sage leaves)
1-1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves (or 1-1/2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves)
1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves (or 1-1/2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat oven to 350°F.  Pat the pork loin roast dry with a paper towel, then score the fat with a sharp knife at 1/4-inch intervals.  Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  (If you have an oven-safe skillet, this can become a one-pan meal.)  Add the roast and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer roast to a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.  Or, if using an oven-safe pan, just lift the roast and put a wire rack beneath it in the skillet.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining 3 Tablespoons of olive oil with the herbs, garlic, salt and pepper.  If using fresh herbs, combine this mixture in food processor.  Spread the herb paste over the top and sides of the pork roast.

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145°F.  Remove to serving platter.  Let roast rest at least 10 minutes to allow temperature to rise to 150°F before slicing.  Cover and keep warm until potatoes are ready.

Increase oven temperature to 450°F.  While roast is resting, prepare potatoes.

Roasted Potatoes:

1/4 cup olive oil
8 small potatoes, quartered (peeled or not, your choice)
1 medium onion, cut into several wedges or large chunks
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks (optional)

In same pan or skillet you used to cook the pork roast, stir 1/4 cup olive oil into pan drippings.  Add cut up vegetables and toss to coat evenly.

Return pan to oven, uncovered, and roast for 60-65 minutes or until tender and golden, stirring halfway through cooking time.  Serve with sliced pork roast.

Makes 4-6 servings.

"Accidental" Cajun Chili

While I can eat chili any time of the year, it wasn't what I had set out to make for supper last Saturday.  My original intent was to make a Cajun Beans and Rice dish.  But after adding this, subbing that, and adding a few other things, I came up with something much more like chili.

I was with it enough to actually write down what I was doing so I can share this with you -- and make it again sometime.  Kat wasn't here to give it a try, but Shane and I really enjoyed it, regardless of it being the "wrong" time of year for chili.

If you don't like okra, try adding fresh or frozen chopped spinach.  If you don't have quinoa, use rice instead.  Feel free to make your own changes and make this recipe your own!

Annie's Cajun Chili

1 pound pork breakfast sausage
1 medium onion, diced
1 large bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 pint (or 15 oz. can) black-eyed peas with liquid
2 pints water
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoons each of oregano and thyme
2 teaspoons low-sodium Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon each celery salt and celery seed
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 pound frozen okra
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup dry quinoa

In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, crumble and fry pork sausage with onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until sausage is no longer pink.  Drain fat from mixture, leaving a tablespoon or so of fat in the pan for flavor.

Stir in all remaining ingredients and bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until quinoa is tender and about half of liquid is absorbed.  Serve immediately or cover and let simmer for an hour or more to further develop flavors.

Serve with desired chili fixings such as cheese, sour cream, crackers, tortilla chips, etc.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Crockpot Pork and Gravy with Vegetables

This is another recipe inspired by something our friend John made and served to us.  He makes a dish of sauteed chicken breast chunks served over rice, with zucchini and mushrooms (each sauteed separately) spooned over, and then poultry gravy ladled over all of it.  It's a pretty good meal.

Now, I'll tell you this, because I tell John this too...although he's a he, he's also something of a diva in the kitchen.  He does nearly all of the cooking for his family and he doesn't really like it when I take one of his ideas and make it my own.  But I do it all the time and he just has to deal with it.  So, if you were able to ask him, he'd say the recipe that follows is NOTHING like the one he makes, and not as good, either.  To use John's own words, I have only this to say...

Whatever.

I took his meal and adapted it, not only to the foods I already had on hand, but also to the crockpot, so I could let the meat cook at camp while we were out doing other things.  It could still be served over rice, but we voted for pasta instead.  So, John's right, this isn't much like his original dish.  But I have to give him credit for the idea.

None of us thought we were very hungry the day I made this at camp, but we ended up eating every last bite of it.


Crockpot Pork and Gravy with Veggies

1 pork loin roast (about 2 pounds) cut into 1-inch cubes
2 packets of gravy mix (pork or poultry, either will work) or equal amount of bulk gravy mix
1 small to medium zucchini, sliced into half-moon shapes
1 small to medium onion (I used vidalia), cut into large chunks
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
pan spray or a small amount of oil
1 Tablespoon butter
seasoned salt
cooked, drained pasta of your choice

Place pork and a generous amount of water in a smaller crockpot and turn on the HI.  Let meat cook on HI for about 4 hours, or on LO for about 6 hours, or until tender.

When meat is tender, whisk in gravy mix, cover and let thicken.  Ours turned out rather thin, but it still worked just fine.  If you like a thicker gravy, use either less water in the crockpot or more gravy mix.

Meanwhile, saute the chopped veggies in a skillet over medium heat that has been sprayed with pan spray or coated with just a drizzle of oil.  Add a little seasoned salt to taste.  When the veggies start to get a little bit tender, add a Tablespoon of butter to the skillet, increase heat to high, and sautee until veggies begin to brown.

Spoon veggies over cooked pasta and top both the veggies and pasta with some of the pork and gravy mixture.  Serve with fresh fruit and/or bread on the side.

Cheese-Stuffed Pork Roast

I found this in my recipe card file, in my own handwriting, so I have no idea where it came from.  It was probably from a magazine clipping, but I can't be sure.  At first glance, it seems a little involved, what with the pounding, the rolling, the tying, but it really wasn't that difficult at all.  It makes a nice roast for company, or just for your own family.

If you're bothered by the heavy cream, I think half-and-half would work fine.

Cheese-Stuffed Pork Roast

1 Tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
1 pork loin roast (2 to 2-1/2 pounds)
6 ounces deli sliced ham
1 teaspoon paprika (I forgot to add this and it didn't make much difference)
1/2 teaspoon dry marjoram leaves
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dry basil leaves

Cream Sauce:
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon sour cream
salt to taste

Combine flour, lemon pepper, butter and cream.  Stir in cheese; set aside.

Cut a lengthwise slit down center of roast to within 1/2" of bottom.  Open roast so it lies flat; cover with plastic wrap.  Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, flatten to 3/4-inch thickness. 

Remove plastic; place ham slices over roast.  Spread cheese mixture lengthwise down the center of one side of the roast to within 1-1/2 inch of ends.

Roll roast, starting with the long side with the cheese mixture on it.  Tie several times with string; secure ends with toothpicks.

Heat oven to 325°F. Combine paprika, marjoram, oregano and basil; rub over the roast.  Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  Bake uncovered at 325°F for 75-90 minutes or to an internal temperature of 160°F.  Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute onion in butter until tender.  Stir in cornstarch.  Whisk in cream and broth.  bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. 

Slice roast and serve with cream sauce.

Makes about 8 servings.

Pork Patties with Onion Gravy

We have quite a bit of ground pork from the hog we bought last fall.  This isn't sausage, but plain, unseasoned pork "burger".  I decided to make some of it into patties similar to Salisbury steaks with gravy.  I have to say, they turned out better than I expected. 

Just my thoughts here, but the sweeter the onion in this recipe, the better.  If you can find a Vidalia, Walla Walla or other similar sweet onion, good for you.  If not, any onion will do, but the gravy won't have the hint of sweetness that I think sets it apart from others.

Pork Patties with Onion Gravy

1 pounds of ground chuck
1/2 of a large sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons Cavender's Greek seasoning (or any seasoned salt blend you like)
Flour for dredging the patties1/4 cup oil (I used peanut)
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups of beef broth

Combine pork, diced onion, bread crumbs, egg, and Cavender's seasoning until mixed well.  Form into about 8 patties.

Heat oil in large, deep frying pan.  Dredge patties in flour, then fry in hot oil about 3 minutes per side, or until lightly browned.  Remove from pan and set aside.

In same pan, cook sliced onion over medium heat until soft and just starting to turn golden.  Stir in 1/4 cup flour.

Gradually whisk in beef broth, whisking constantly until gravy is lump-free and thickened. (If you are uncomfortable with this method, you can gradually whisk the beef broth into the flour, then add the flour/broth mixture to the skillet -- it's an extra step but should be easier to keep the gravy lump-free.)

Once the gravy has thickened, return the pork patties to the pan.  Spoon gravy over each patty, then cover the pan and reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer for about 20 more minutes or until patties are cooked through, adding additional water to the gravy if it becomes too thick.

Serve over mashed potatoes or noodles.  Enjoy.

Makes about 4 servings.

Our Traditional New Year's Day Meal

Each year I make a traditional southern New Year's Day dinner.  The meal varies slightly from year to year, but always consists of some kind of pork with gravy, black-eyed peas and cooked greens (to symbolize prosperity...specifically coins and bills), and from-scratch biscuits or cornbread.

Here is this year's version of the meal.

I simmered some smoked ham hocks along with the ham bone from Christmas dinner, all from a hog we bought last fall.  I picked the meat from the bones and then seasoned and thickened it into a rich gravy.  I spooned the meaty gravy over homemade buttermilk biscuits and served it with cooked turnip greens (from last year's garden) and black-eyed peas that I pressure-canned several months ago.  I added some green beans (because Kat doesn't really like greens) and some tall glasses of sweet iced tea.  I didn't make a dessert this year because we still have plenty of treats left over from Christmas, but pumpkin or sweet potato pie would be just right with this meal.

It's a simple meal, but it's rich in flavor and tradition.  I could cook this meal anytime, but I usually only make it on New Year's Day and I look forward to it all year long!

Do you have any traditional dishes you serve on the first day of the year?