Ham and Beans

My mom has made this heart warming dish for years.  It's something you look forward to going home to on a cold winter day.  It warms you from the inside out.  I use leftover ham from Easter or Christmas for this dish.  What ham doesn’t get eaten I will wrap in tin foil and freeze it until I need it for my Ham and Beans. It puts even more flavor in it with the caramelized brown sugar and pineapple along with other seasonings my Fiancé put's on the ham when he roasts it.  And our dog Chloe gets a special treat and gets the bone thats left over.  I always make a big batch of this.  So, if needed you might want to cut this recipe in half.  A big batch makes about 12-14 hearty sized bowls.


Ingredients:

2-16oz, (1lb) bags of great northern beans

About 2-3 lbs of leftover ham with bone or you can use 4 ham hocks from the store.
1 large onion diced

1 tsp-Paprika

3-4 tsp-pepper to taste

3-4 tsp-salt

3 tsp-garlic powder

*Optional: 1-6oz. can of Roasted Garlic tomato paste for an extra bold flavor. I did not use this in this recipe here online.  But I have used it in the past and it is delicious if you would like to add the tomato paste. 

*If you use ham hocks I usually buy a pack or two of ham chunks or pieces also for some extra meat.  They should have them close to the hocks.

Start off by pouring your beans in your pot dry.  Run your fingers through them and make sure there are no rocks. (Yes, there can be rocks and they are not good for your teeth!)  (Broken tooth? Go to dentalstl.com)

Cut off pieces of ham from the big bone and add them to your pot with the beans. If you are able to add bone with the meat do that instead. And you can cut the meat off the bone later if it doesn't fall off on it's own already.

Add enough water to come come up to about 2-3 in above everything. I usually try to add enough water to have extra broth for my corn bread. Add your seasonings and diced onions. Then bring the pot to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 4 hours or until your beans are tender.