After flavoring the beans for this creamy winter soup, smoked ham hock is shredded and pan fried, rendering it crisp and intensifying it’s flavor.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 1/2 cups cannelli or Great Northern beans, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 bouquet garni (1 tsp whole black peppercorns, 2 each bay leaves, sprigs rosemary and thyme tied up in cheesecloth)
- 1 smoked ham hock
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 stalks lacinato or regular kale (stems thinly sliced, leaves halved lengthwise and thinly sliced)
Instructions
- Heat 1/4 cup oil in an 8 qt. saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Cook garlic, celery, carrot and onion until golden, 10-12 minutes.
- Add stock, beans, bouquet garni and ham hock; boil.
- Reduce heat to medium; simmer, covered slightly, until beans are mushy, 1-1 1/2 hours.
- Discard bouquet garni.
- Transfer ham hock to a plate and let it cool; discard skin and bone and shred meat.
- Transfer half the beans to a bowl; set aside.
- Using an immersion blender or regular blender, puree soup until very smooth.
- Stir in reserved beans, salt and pepper, keep warm.
- Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat; cook kale stems until tender, 3-4 minutes.
- Add kale leaves, salt and pepper; cook until leaves are wilted, 2-3 minutes and stir into soup.
- Add remaining oil to skillet; cook shredded pork until crisp, 6-8 minutes.
- Ladle soup into bowls; top with crispy pork.