Traditional Newfoundland Bean Soup with Ham

The key to making any delicious soups is to build those flavours by making your own stock. We are starting this soup with a ham bone I had frozen for this occasion, fill your boiler up three quarters way with cold water and add the ham bone, with ham still on the bone. Then start building those flavours by adding onion, bay leaves, pepper or pepper corn, let this boil until you see the ham start to remove from the bone.

1- In a medium bowl three quarters full of cold water add your dry beans of choice, let soak overnight. When ready to make soup drain water off and set aside until ready.

2- In a large boiler three quarters full of water add your ham bone with ham on it, let boil on medium heat until ham starts to remove from bone. "This can take one hour."

3- In that same boiler add, bay leaves, pepper or pepper corns, one cubed onion, half cover the boiler and let it continue boiling until ready.

4- When cooked remove ham bone take all the ham off it and chop in small pieces and put it back in boiler, remove bay leaves, and any stuff floating on the top of boiler.

5- Then add your beans let boil for another hour or until beans are tender.

6- Peel and clean your vegetables then start chopping your vegetables to small pieces and put in a bowl of cold water.

7- When beans are cooked, drain water off vegetables then add to boiler and then add your seasonings let boil for another half hour.

8- Then lower the heat to simmer until you are ready to serve or bottle soup in mason jars until another time. Bottle soup hot  seal the tops on and date each bottle, when soup comes to room temperature store in your fridge up to three weeks.

Serve soup with freshly baked bread rolls or crackers.