Bacon, egg and bean soup

This is certainly a different way of serving up bacon, egg and beans! It's a thick soup of black eyed beans and chopped boiled egg, garnished with crisp fried bacon and parsley.
I can't quite see it replacing the fried version for breakfast though, unless maybe we threw in a few fried bread crutons!

BACON, EGG AND BEAN SOUP
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz (225g) black eyed beans
2 pt (946ml) ham stock or ham stock and water
1 small carrot, diced
2 stick celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
4 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
6 rashers smoked bacon
butter or oil for frying
black pepper

METHOD:
Place the beans, stock, vegetables and bay leaf in a large saucepan.
Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a low heat for 40 - 50 minutes, until the beans are very soft.
Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a little butter or oil until crisp. Drain on paper towels then chop roughly and set aside.
When the beans are cooked, discard the bay leaf and pour the soup into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth then return to the saucepan.
Bring to a simmer over a moderate heat, thinning with a little water if too thick.
Stir in the eggs and wine vinegar and season to taste with the pepper.
Pour the soup into a warmed tureen, garnish with the bacon and parsley and serve immediately.

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Ham it up for Christmas

An interesting recipe for smoked ham that will make an attractive addition to the Christmas buffet. Not only does it look very impressive but it tastes great too. Leaving the joint to cool in the stock keeps the meat from drying out and makes it tender and moist.
There's no need to waste the cooking stock as it can be strained and frozen to use at a later date as a base for a soup such as bacon, egg and bean soup.

BOURBON GLAZED HAM
Serves 10-12

INGREDIENTS:
10 lb (4.5kg) smoked ham joint
bouquet garni, consisting of 4 parsley sprigs, 1 thyme spray and 1 bay leaf tied together
8 peppercorns
1 large onion, quartered
1 large carrot, quartered
1 celery stalk, quartered
12 oz (340g) dark brown sugar
2 tsp mustard powder
5 fl.oz (148ml) bourbon whisky
12 whole cloves
2 oranges, thinly sliced
cocktail sticks

METHOD:
Place the ham in a large saucepan and cover with water.
Add the bouquet garni, peppercorns, onion, carrot, and celery.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 4 hours. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the ham to cool in the liquid.
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/GMk 4.
Combine the sugar, mustard powder and 2 fl.oz (60ml) of the bourbon in a small bowl and set aside.
When the ham is cool enough to handle remove from the liquid and place on a chopping board.
With a sharp knife remove the rind from the ham, leaving a layer of fat. Score the fat into a diamond pattern, cutting right through to the meat.
Place the ham on a rack in a roasting tin and brush with the remaining bourbon.
Spread the sugar mixture over the ham, push the cloves into the fat, then decorate with the orange slices, securing them with the cocktail sticks.
Bake the ham in the oven for about an hour, until the meat is tender and has a golden brown glaze. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Discard the cloves and cocktail sticks and serve.

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