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| Ham Hock Minestrone |
Adding a ham hock to your stockpot is an easy way to give soup a delicious depth of flavour
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 2 hours 5 mins
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, to drizzle
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1L chicken stock
- 1 ham hock
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 1 small red capsicum, diced
- 1 desiree potato, peeled, cut into 1cm cubes
- 1 swede, peeled, cut into 1cm pieces
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 400g can borlotti beans, drained, rinsed
- 1 zucchini, cut into 1cm cubes
- ½ cup small dried pasta (such as macaroni)
- ½ cup basil leaves Parmesan chips, to serve
Directions:
- Heat oil in a large heavybased saucepan over a medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes or until soft. Pour in stock and 2.5L hot water, and bring to a simmer. Carefully add ham hock and cook, partially covered with a lid, for 1 hour or until meat is very tender and falling off the bone.
- Add carrot, celery, capsicum, potato, swede, tomato and beans. Bring to a simmer, cooking for a further 30 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat. Remove ham hock and set aside on a chopping board for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Pull ham meat off bone and shred. Discard bone.
- Return shredded ham to pan, along with zucchini and pasta, and stir. Cook for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Tear ½ of the basil and add to soup.
- Ladle soup into serving bowls and drizzle over the extra oil. To serve, scatter with remaining basil leaves and top each bowl with a parmesan chip.
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