Ham and Winter Vegetable Soup - ham stock

Method

• If you are starting with some ham stock and the ends of a joint, strip the bone and place it in the stock and boil for about 45 minutes.
• Remove the bone from the stock and strip off any leftover pieces of meat, set these aside and discard the bone.
• Prepare the vegetables, peel and chop them into neat pieces, around the same size, the same way as you would for a minestrone.
• Add the vegetables to the stock together with the bayleaf and bring to the boil.
• Cover and simmer for 12 minutes, then add the drained, rinsed beans and plenty of black pepper.
• You might not want to use all the beans, I used just over a half.
• When all the vegetables are soft - check each type - add the pieces of ham, taste for seasoning and add black pepper if needed.
• You won't need any salt.
• Transfer 3 or 4 ladles of soup into a jug or bowl and process with a stick blender until completely smooth, then pour back into the soup, this gives the soup a creaminess, you could leave it as more of a minestrone clear broth, or process all of it, depending on how you like your soup.
• Serve hot in warmed bowls.