Every year, the Joseph family gifts a full holiday meal to each Cincinnati police officer as a show of gratitude for their service to the city.  This year we chose a ham as our meat and I prepared it for our Christmas Eve dinner.

There is inevitably lots of ham leftover, and a lovely bone.  I searched the pages of Pinterest for a soup recipe to try using the bone.  Initially I was thinking black bean soup.  However, since it is Christmas day, going to the grocery is not an option so I had to find one that called for ingredients I had on hand.

I landed on this recipe: Leftover Hambone Soup on a site called Damn Delicious.  What follows is my modified recipe, based on what I had on hand.

Ham Bone & Veggie Soup

Ingredients:

• 6 cups ham stock (hambone + about 7 cups water)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 white onion, diced
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 4 medium red skin potatoes, peeled and diced (the last 4 of my garden potatoes)
• 1 can corn
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-1/2 cups leftover diced ham

Instructions:

1. Put the hambone in a large pot with enough water to cover the bone halfway, about 6-7 cups. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until very fragrant (about 1 hour).  Remove and discard hambone.  I did this part last night then let stock cool and refrigerated it overnight.  In the morning, the fat had risen to the top and could easily be skimmed off.  
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, scallions, carrots and potato. Cook 2-3 minutes, until onions have become translucent.
3. Add 6 cups ham stock, corn, thyme and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).
5. Remove bay leaves, stir in ham and heat through, about 1-2 minutes.