Ham Hock Stew – Cold weather has arrived time for a large pot

The quantities listed here are intended as a rough guide and can be varied as much as you like. I tend to go for as many vegetables as will fit in the pot. My soup/stew/chili pot is a 6 quart Lodge enameled cast iron pot with a tight fitting lid.
The ham hock I use comes from A & R Packing Co Inc. purchased at Walmart at $2.95 a pound, usually 3 hocks in a package and weighing 2 to 2-1/2 pounds. Three dollars a pound is a lot for mostly bone and skin, but the taste is worth the cost.

With all that said, adjust your vegetable choice to your taste and more importantly the size of your stew pot.

Ingredients: Note: for this recipe Course Chopped means bite size.

1 tsp olive oil or oil of your choice
1 large or 2 smallish ham hocks about 2 pounds
2-3 medium sized potatoes course chopped
2 to 6 cloves garlic whole and peeled
2 large carrots course chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
2 ribs celery fine chopped
1 large or 2 small onions course chopped
1 cup kale Optional or 1 cup turnip or collard greens course chopped
3/4 to 1 cup of frozen peas
3/4 to 1 cup frozen corn
3/4 to 1 cup Frozen beans
3/4 to 1 cup course chopped okra Optional
2 sprigs thyme or 1/2 tsp dry thyme
2 sprigs rosemary or 1/2 tsp dry rosemary
2-3 bay leaves remove before serving
Salt and pepper to taste, use caution adding salt, hocks tend to be a bit salty.

Optional alternate vegetables:
Fennel, turnip, sweet potato, butternut or acorn squash, pumpkin, a few brussels sprouts, broccoli.
Vegetable choices are endless.

Cooking:
Heat a large pot over medium heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the onions, finely chopped carrots and celery, sautéing until tender, about 5 minutes.
Place your ham hock and garlic in the pot and cover with water. Bring this to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 2 hours until the meat easily parts from the bone.
Remove the hock from the water and allow it to cool enough to separate all of the meat from the bone. Shred the meat into small pieces and return these to the pot.
Next peel and chop the potatoes, carrots and onion in to bite-sized pieces, add these to the pot and bring back to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. I use as many vegetables as will fit in the pan and remain covered by the liquid.
Use whatever ratio of the different vegetables you prefer.
Add any herbs to spices of your choice to the pot. I usually add some black pepper with some dried rosemary and thyme.
Then simmer this for about 30 minutes until the potatoes and carrot are cooked. After about 15 minutes of this add a large handful of chopped kale/turnip or collard greens to the pan and mix this into the other vegetables.
Finally when the other vegetables are cooked through add frozen and fast cooking vegetables, bring it back to the boil and allow it to simmer for a few minutes until vegetables are tender.

I can, hot pack hot sterilized quart jars with left over stew. Store refrigerated for quick easy meals in the cold days to come. Use within 2 weeks unless canned in a pressure canner.

Happy Gardening