I’ve been drowning in snow and a bowl of soup every night has become my favorite part of the night. A side effect of this, and an aversion to canned soup, has resulted in a lot of soup-making. I also don’t like store-bought stocks and broths for soup, preferring to use them in recipes where they aren’t supposed to be the star, and so stock making is an exciting new addition to my repertoire!

This soup is built on a delicious stock made from beef and pork bones. It’s hearty, rich, and absolutely delicious. Rather than the broth being the mechanism for delivery of “the good stuff,” this stock is, in my opinion, the best part of the entire dish. The black beans, ham, and kale round out the soup making it a complete meal that gets more and more delicious as it sits in your fridge.

I suggest making a big pot and eating it all week!

Ham, Kale and Black Bean Soup (Makes ~10 cups) 

STOCK 

• 1 lb pork bones
• 1 lb beef marrow ones
• 1 onion, halved
• 2 carrots, halved
• 3 6-inch-long celery ribs
• 2 peeled cloves of garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 handful of parsley

1. Place bones in  a medium pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 4-5 minutes of until a brown scum/foam has formed on top.
2. Take off of the heat and drain water.
3. Rinse bones with cool water.
4. Alternative to steps 1-3: All ingredients except parsley in a metal pan at 375F for 40 minutes.  
5. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and parsley to the pot with the bones. Cover with water, and simmer covered for 4-6 hours.
6. Remove all bones/ingredients, turn heat up to high, and reduce by half. Season.

SOUP 

• 3 cups cubed ham
• 3 15oz cans of unsalted black beans
• 2.5 cups raw chopped kale
• 1 small onion, minced
• 3 cups of stock (previously prepared or store-bought)

1. Sauté onions and kale in the bottom of a  medium pot over medium heat until the onion starts to become translucent.
2. Add black beans, 2.5 cans full of water, and stock to the pot. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce head to medium/low, add ham, season, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
4. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, freshly cracked pepper, and chopped parsley.