Leftover ham from New Years?  Make this delicious ham and bean hot pot!

Have a nice meaty ham bone left from your New Year’s ham dinner?

Here’s the perfect way to use it and your slow cooker.

Making a meal out of what’s leftover is always a joy to me, plus it’s easy on the budget too. Especially if it tastes good.

Some may call this a soup and some may call it a stew–both are correct, but I make this so it’s closer to a stew. Anyone familiar with British cuisine (some would say the word “cuisine” is used loosely LOL) know that the northern part of the UK is somewhat famous for their “hot pots.” Typically a hot pot contains lamb, potatoes and various veggies. This is nowhere close to the traditional dish–here it’s more of a texture thing.

You can thin this down to make soup if you like or leave it the way it is for a meal that has a chew factor involved.

Add any veggies you like to this for even more taste and color. I kept this one simple because I can add to it what I like when I make the leftovers. And speaking of leftovers, you’ll have quite a bit with this. I generally freeze it in 1-2 serving portions.

I used a combo of great northern and navy beans in this one, but substitute any beans you have on hand or the ones you like. I do soak my beans overnight because it doing so seems to quell some of the embarrassing aspects of beans, but with slow cooking, you really don’t have to and if you regularly include beans in your diet, then generally you don’t suffer the after effects of the oligosaccharides. I also add any salt almost at the end of cooking since I like my beans very soft. If you like more of a “crunch” to your beans, then add it at the beginning.

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Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Hot Pot

Leftover ham from New Years?  Make this delicious ham and bean hot pot! Have a nice meaty ham bone left from your New Year’s ham dinner? Here’s the perfect way to use it and your slow cooker.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 hours hrs

Total Time10 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course: Comfort Foods, Pork, Slow Cooker

Cuisine: American

Keyword: ham, slow cooker recipes

Servings: 10

Calories: 154kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried beans I used 1/2 navy and 1/2 great northern*
• 6 cups water
• 1 meaty smoked ham bone
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 whole peppercorns
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• Salt to taste I add almost at the end--see post as to why

Instructions

• *Soak beans overnight, if desired. Just put them in a big pot and add water until they're covered by 1-2-inches of water. Drain and pick out the shriveled or bad looking ones.
• Place all ingredients except for salt in a 5+ quart slow cooker.
• Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low, 5-8 hours on high (cook times are approximate)

Nutrition

Serving: 1person | Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 3mg

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A delicious and mildly spicy raisin sauce for your New Year’s ham!

There are many sauces served with ham, but one of the best and most complementary is traditional raisin sauce.

Ham is traditional on New Year’s Day–actually I believe it’s fresh ham that is traditional, but most folks have substituted cured ham for the fresh because of it’s availability.

I was first introduced to this when I went to my Eastern Star chapter’s annual fall ham dinner not long after I became a member.

The sauce that was always served belonged to Pat (member and past District Deputy) and it had an incredible flavor. She was famous around here for her raisin sauce and one taste will tell you why.

Most raisin sauces contain multiple spices, but this only contains 2–dry mustard and ground cloves–and not in abundance. The sauce is very delicately flavored and not overpowering as some can be. It’s subtle spiciness is offset by a subtle sweet-sour flavor.

I deviate from Pat’s original recipe in that I use apple cider vinegar instead of the white variety. The apple cider vinegar gives it a slightly more fruity taste, but feel free to use any vinegar you have and suit your own taste. It’s important here to add the vinegar at the very last–reason being that the acid tends to break down the thickening quality of the cornstarch.

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Golden Raisin Sauce for Ham

A delicious and mildly spicy raisin sauce for your New Year’s ham!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Dips, dressings, sauces

Cuisine: American

Keyword: raisin sauce

Servings: 2 cups

Calories: 431kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 cup raisins
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, bring raisins and water to boiling over medium heat; boil for 5 minutes
• Mix together the brown sugar, cornstarch, dry mustard and cloves.
• Add the cornstarch mixture to boiling raisins; cook for 1 minute
• Add the butter, stirring till melted.
• Add the vinegar and stir to blend.
• Serve sauce immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 647mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 177IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg

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