Ham and homemade stock give this soup a great flavor, pasta adds heartiness and collard greens, vinegar and hot sauce complete that Southern potlikker flavor!
Okay…
What is Potlikker?
By definition, it is the juices left over from making collard greens and it is supposed to be very good for you
That being said there are a lot of applications to use these great flavors
We have adapted this to a ham based soup that is so delicious we like to call it a “Pot Licker”
My daughter claims it is her favorite soup (I like hearing that)
This is also a great recipe for utilizing a leftover ham shank
Note: Southern collard greens are often served with ham hocks to impart the smoky flavor and meatiness
So we had ham and now we have ham shank
Time for a transformation!
There always seems to be left over ham after a Holiday meal or Sunday dinner
Now I know what your thinking… What am I going to do with this?
What we are going to do is transform this into a completely new and amazing meal!
There is a lot of meat clinging to this shank and to me, a bone with any meat on it spells stock
We will need 2 carrots, 1 onion and 1 celery stalk along with the leftover ham shank
Give everyone a rough chop
No need to peel these as they’re are just to flavor the stock and will be discarded
By the way, you can make this stock a day ahead to make life easier
Add the ham bone and veggies into a large pot
Next up, we will need 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of hot sauce, 2 teaspoons of black peppercorns, 2 garlic cloves and 3 bay leaves
Smash the garlic and add it to the pot along with the rest of the ingredients
You basically want to cover as much of the ham as you can with water
The amount of water will change depending on the size of the ham
We used 16 cups of water for this
Cover and bring to a rapid boil over medium heat
Reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours or until the liquid is reduced by half
Strain the pot reserving the ham and stock
Discard everything else
We ended up with 8 cups of this beautiful and flavorful stock!
Pick off all of the ham and discard any fat and bones
The meat closest to the bone becomes so tender and delicious you are going to love it
Set the ham aside
Now it is time to make some Potlikker!
We are serving this Potlikker soup over pasta, so cook up a pound of your favorite, according to the directions, drain and set aside
We are going to start with some similar ingredients for the soup as we did for the stock
We will need 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 4 slices of bacon and 2 teaspoons each of kosher salt and ground black pepper
Peel and chop the onion and garlic and chop up the bacon
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat
Add in the bacon
Render the bacon down 4-6 minutes until nice and browned
Next add in the onions, garlic and salt and pepper
Sweat these down 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally
Now this is a Southern inspired dish and if we are talking Southern we will need some greens
And when I think of Southern greens I think collard greens!
Here we have 1 bunch
You want to soak these in some cold water and give them a good rinse to remove any dirt or grit
Pat the leaves dry, flip them over so you are at the back and remove the stem by cutting a v pattern on both sides
Once the stems are removed, stack the leaves and cut down the center
Then chop along the length
Repeat until they are all chopped
Add the ham back into the pot with the onion and bacon and stir to combine
Add in the collard greens and stir to combine
Add in the reserved stock
Cover and bring to a rapid boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 20-25 minutes
Looking good!
We like to stir in 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar at the end
The acid really compliments the richness of the broth
Put a scoop or 2 of your favorite pasta in a bowl and ladle Potlikker over it
Deliciously comforting!
We serve this with a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and shredded parmesan cheese!
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ Potlikker Soup
Ingredients
For the Stock
1 leftover ham bone with meat
1 onion
2 carrots
1 celery stalk
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of hot sauce
2 teaspoon of black peppercorns
2 garlic cloves
3 dry bay leaves
16 cups of water
For the soup
reserved stock( around 8 cup)
reserved ham
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion
4 slices of bacon
2 garlic cloves
1 bunch of collard greens, cleaned, stem removed and chopped
1 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoons of ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar (optional)
crushed red pepper (optional)
shredded parmesan (optional)
1 pound box of your favorite pasta (cooked and drained)
Directions
For the stock
Add the leftover ham bone to a large pot. Add in 2 chopped carrots, 1 chopped celery stalk, 1 chopped onion, 2 smashed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of hot sauce, 2 teaspoon of black peppercorns, 3 dry bay leaves and 16 cups of water
Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2 hours
Remove from heat and strain, reserving the stock and ham. Pick meat from bones and reserve. Discard the bones and veggies
Cook 1 pound of your favorite pasta according to the directions. Drain and set aside
For the soup
Chop 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves and 4 slices of bacon. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot. Brown the bacon for 4-6 minutes. Add in the onions and garlic, sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Sweat them down for 6-8 minutes. Add the ham back in and stir to mix
Soak and rinse 1 bunch of collard greens in cold water to remove any excess dirt or grit Cut out and discard the main stem. Layer the leaves on top of each other and cut down the center. Then chop along the length
Add collard greens to the pot along with the reserved stock. Cover and bring to a boil Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 20-25 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste
Place 1 -2 scoops of pasta in a bowl. Ladle Potlikker over the noodles. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper (optional) and shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
Tools used to make this recipe
ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch
Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood
Wilton 3 Piece Cookie Sheet Set
Anchor Hocking 8 Cup Measuring Cup Glass Batter Bowl with Spout
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