Meme’s Vegetable Soup

Name: Meme’s Vegetable Soup
Yield: serves 6 to 8
Ingredients: 1 ham bone, with some meat on it; 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh; 1 sprig of thyme; 6 cups water; 1 (15-ounce) can tomato puree; 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole tomatoes, with juices; 2 cups shelled fresh butter beans (about 1 1/2 pounds unshelled) or frozen butter beans, thawed; 1 onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped; Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper; 3 carrots, sliced into thin rounds; 2 stalks celery, chopped; 2 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed; 1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces; Scraped kernels from 4 ears fresh sweet corn (about 2 cups) (see page 188); 1/4 pound fresh okra, stems trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (optional); Meme’s Biscuits (page 204), for accompaniment

December 9, 2011

My grandfather used lots and lots of black pepper, especially to season Meme’s vegetable soup. It tasted wonderful, so it wasn’t like he was trying to hide the taste. He just loved pepper. We always had vegetable soup in the winter, using the vegetables we had canned or frozen that summer. This recipe easily doubles or triples. I like to make a large batch and enjoy it a few days in a row. You can prepare this with the traditional ham bone or opt for a vegetarian version. Serve with piping hot biscuits.

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