Ham & Vegetable Porridge
As with a lot of our country we are experiencing an unusually cold winter. Unfortunately it’s been filled with lots of ice. So on those days that you just can’t get out of the house, let alone out of the driveway to get to the store, making porridge is a good way to bring up the mood in the house. For this porridge I used up vegetables that were on the edge of going bad and some leftover ham that I had in the freezer.
Ingredients:
- 1 bag of Cajun 15 Bean Soup Mix
- 2 Fennels, white part only, sliced
- 12 Brussels Sprouts, quartered
- 16 Baby Carrots, cubed
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- half a yellow onion, diced
- half a bunch of parsley, chopped
- 5 handfuls of kale, chopped
- 3 cups or more of ham chunks
- 2 quarts chicken broth
First of all rinse the beans the night before you’re going to make the porridge pick any debris from them. Then soak the beans over night in a large bowl covered by water. The next day drain and rinse and add with the other ingredients to the cooking pot.
In a heavy bottom large pot combine all of the ingredients, stir in the Cajun spice packet. Heat over medium heat until it starts to boil, reduce the heat and simmer slightly covered for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. The porridge needs to maintain a simmer and the moisture needs a place to escape. Stir a few times during the cooking process. The porridge is finished when the bean are extremely tender and fall apart when pressure is put on them. Generally my porridge is thicker than a stew.
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