Just and old country dinner tonight - with Keith

[ThomWV]

White beans and ham with biscuits. My inspirational offering for the evening.

This should be ready in time for Keith. I bought one of those 'ham steaks' on the way home and tossed it into a pot of cold water as soon as I got here. Those things are so salty these days you have to soak them for about an hour before you can use them for anything.

While the ham was soaking I took about a cup and a half of dry Navy Beans in a stock pot with about a gallon of water and brought it to a boil. I tossed in the rind from the ham. I let the beans boil for 5 minutes and then took them off the fire to cool.

After the ham has soaked for about an hour and a half (2 water changes) I tossed it into a pre-heated stock pot with about a tablespoon of olive oil in it. I let it cook until it crusted. Nice. While it was cooking I chopped 3 stalks of celery to a thickness the size of the beans. I believe that in soups and stews that all of the ingredients should be chopped to the same size as the main ingredient. I took a small carrot and after cleaning chopped it to about the same size.

When the ham was nicely crusted I took it out and put it on a plate to cool and tossed the chopped celery and carrot in to de glaze the pot. Sweet! I stepped aside and cut one clove of garlic as thin as I could then came back to the pot and stirred it in too. Ahhhhh!. Within a minute I dumped in about a pint of chicken stock.

Now things are smellin' good. I left the pot on the stove on a low heat and went back to the table and the now-cooled ham. With two forks I pulled it apart into shreds, once again holding to my rule that no piece should be any bigger around than a white bean. The ham got tossed into the simmering pot.

Now I add water. I don't know how much I put in, maybe two quarts; just enough to look right. I put a glass lid on the pot and turned the stove off. I brought the pot over to the wood burner and set it on top. Its been simmering there, covered, since 6:00. At seven I'll take the lid off and 45 minutes later I take them off the heat to cool a bit before dinner. Here's a hint for new cooks: You boil them when you make them but when you serve them they should be at a temperature low enough that your guests will not burn themselves with the first sip. Do not be guilty of putting a soup on the table when it is too hot to enjoy.

Keith comes on at eight. That will work out nicely. I'm lazy tonight and will just make up some canned biscuits. The night will be a cold one and preheating the oven heats the house a little it. Two birds with one stone. I'll light up the oven about twenty-of' and put the biscuits in ten minutes later. The butter is already out.