Leftover Ham and Lentil Soup

Name: Leftover Ham and Lentil Soup
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: Hunk of butter (or oil); 1 onion, diced; 3 cloves garlic; 3 carrots; 1 tsp flour; Splash wine; 1 cup stock (chicken/pork/veggie all work); Cheesecloth; Butcher’s twine; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 bay leaves, broken; 2 allspice; 2 star anise; 4 cloves; 1/2 tsp black peppercorns; 1/2 tsp fenugreek; 1 dried chili pepper; 1 tsp thyme; 1 cup dry lentils (green or yellow); 1 Tupperware of leftover roasted ham, diced; 1/2 tsp cumin (optional); 1/2 tsp garam masala (optional); Salt and pepper; Chopped fresh cilantro; Sour cream; Croutons

Katherine @katherinecooks

Got some leftover roast ham? Sick of ham sandwiches? Make this soup!

Here’s the long version for inspiration, but you can happily cut out half these steps (eg frying the ham, puréeing half the lentils, etc.) and it would still be delicious, hearty, and an economical winter warmer. Use whatever root veggies you’ve got on hand. Add any dairy/green veg/lemon right near the end.

Got some leftover roast ham? Sick of ham sandwiches? Make this soup!

Katherine @katherinecooks

Got some leftover roast ham? Sick of ham sandwiches? Make this soup!

Saved

Ingredients

Base
Hunk of butter (or oil)
1onion, diced
3 clovesgarlic
3carrots
1 tspflour
Splashwine
1 cupstock (chicken/pork/veggie all work)
Bouquet Garni (herb bundle)
Cheesecloth
Butcher’s twine
1cinnamon stick
2bay leaves, broken
2allspice
2star anise
4cloves
1/2 tspblack peppercorns
1/2 tspfenugreek
1dried chili pepper
1 tspthyme
The Soup
1 cupdry lentils (green or yellow)
1Tupperware of leftover roasted ham, diced
1/2 tspcumin (optional)
1/2 tspgaram masala (optional)
Salt and pepper
Garnish
Chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream
Croutons

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Steps

1

Cook your lentils. Wash dry lentils thoroughly (all sorts of weird stuff turns up in dry lentils, I found a piece of wood in mine). Add to a large pot of boiling water, boil for half an hour and drain, reserving water.
2

Make your herb bundle. Double layer a square of cheesecloth. Lay all the things you don’t want to chew in the middle. Bundle it up, tying with butcher’s twine. Do not make my mistake and include veggie stalks - I thought it would be an easy way to impart more flavour, but forgot they would expand and stretch out the cheesecloth.
3

Make your base. Melt some butter; sauté onions, carrots, etc. until soft. Add the herb bundle, push it around for a bit, then toss it in the soup pot. Add minced garlic, cooking briefly. Add flour and cook until nutty. Splash in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to get the good bits while letting the alcohol evaporate. Slowly incorporate stock.
4

Amass the soup! Add your delicious veggie mixture to a crock pot or large soup pot. Add the cooked lentils. Add the reserved lentil water until everything looks a bit too runny. Add cumin and garam masala, if using, and salt and pepper. Cook on low for as long as you’ve got (1-3h) on low heat.
5

Get some texture. Dig out the herb bundle and 2 cups of soup. Purée the rest with a hand blender. Return veggies. Fry ham (with basting sauce, if you still have it) and add.
6

Garnish and serve!