January 7, 2016
I can remember having this almost every week. My father died when I was just thirteen. After he was gone, a lot of meals were beans and cornbread or fried potatoes and eggs. You might think that there would be an aversion to this humble meal, but not in my mind. Occasionally, I crave this dish. Yeah, I really do not crave the fried potatoes and eggs, though.
My husband, on the other hand, does not care for bean soup. He grew up in Wisconsin where his dad, he, and his three brothers were always fishing and hunting. Fresh fish weekly was the norm there. They always had deer meat.
Dave is not really one for too many leftovers either! Apparently, with four boys, there were never leftovers! At home, we made a big pot of bean soup and I remember eating it for meals until it was all gone! I do not recall having a problem with that either.
Although we grew up on a small farm, after my dad died we got rid of most of the animals. My mother worked and never remarried. Most days, after school, she would call home and tell me what to prepare for dinner. That increased my interest in cooking and baking.
Apparently, after I had gone to school at The Art Institute in Florida, meals were a little different. My mother continued to work, and I am sure she was tired in the evenings. My younger brother tells me he remembers having potato soup a lot. So much that he had no desire to ever eat it again. It is funny how certain foods recall memories.
This revelation came when he was visiting a few weeks ago and I was preparing potato soup. We had a good laugh as I revealed my memory of that ‘lackluster’ soup. I assured him that my version was really good, nothing like the potato cubes in milk that we had enjoyed growing up. After having a bowl of this rich creamy potato soup, he seemed to agree. Recipe►Best Potato Soup.
This recipe for ham and beans is another example of what adding a few ingredients to a simple recipe can do to elevate the flavor. As I recall, the ham and beans we had at home consisted of ham, beans, and water, period. I don’t fault my mother. She raised five children alone and you have to give her credit. She just did not seem to enjoy the art of cooking. I think she preferred to go outside, garden, and rake leaves or do some kind of yard work.
In addition to the beans and ham, this recipe has carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, tomatoes, basil, and pepper. It is full of flavor! Recipe►Ham and Bean Soup. ►
Actually, I have made this soup many times before without the ham, just adding a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the beans after they were cooked, in place of the ham. It makes a delicious vegetarian Peasant Soup.
Maybe you have some memories of dishes from your childhood. Although these memories could be considered bad, I don’t see it that way. Yes, perhaps the frequency of having the ham and bean soup gave me some fortitude, which I have needed along life’s way.
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