Ham & Caramelized Onion Bisque
This is one of those soups that came about from leftovers. I had made a holiday ham.... honestly I don't remember which holiday, I swap between roasts, hams, and turkeys, with the occasional special dish in there instead, but it was a left over ham that I needed to use. I wanted to make something a little different, so I decided to make a textured bisque.
I started by caramelizing the onions with black garlic, and used that as the foundation. I split that into two sections, one for the bisque part, then the other to go with the actual ham. For the base I took my foundation and added potatoes, then I cooked and pureed them. This was the structure of the soup, so I essentially made a smooth, onion-potato bisque.
I then took the ham, seared it a touch, and added my reserved onions. Once I got a little char on it, I folded the two parts together and seasoned it.
I finished the soup by adding chopped kale to give it a bit more body and some color. When doing this, I took the kale stems and did a quick pickle. That, and fresh cracked black pepper were the garnishes I used to put this together.
Enjoy.
Ingredients
ham, diced 2 lbs
potatoes, peeled and chopped 2 lbs
onions, yellow, sliced 4 ea
onions, Spanish, sliced 3 ea
black garlic, sliced* 1 head
chicken stock 4 1/2 qt
Avenue Spice 2 T
creole spice 1 T
oregano, dried 3 tsp
salt and pepper in to taste
mustard powder 2 tsp
sherry vinegar 1/4 cup, to taste
kale, stemmed and chopped 1 bunch
*I used a whole black garlic head because I've been making it recently. If you don't have it, feel free and substitute 3-5 large cloves, depending on your preference.
Garnish
pickled kale stems, cracked black pepper
Method of Procedure
Heat your pot on medium and place your onions and garlic until they begin to sweat.
Lower the heat and cook on low while stirring for 2-3 hours. You can increase the heat to cook the onions and garlic faster. You will not get as deep as a base if your do not properly caramelize your onions. Close, but there is a noticeable difference between sauteing and caramelizing.
Once the onions are the correct color, season lightly with salt and pepper, stir, then remove half of your onions.
Return to medium-high heat and add your ham. Cook, while stirring with a wooden spoon, to deglaze the pan and remove the crusted on onions.
Remove from the pan and add your potatoes, the remaining onions, and all your spices. Cook while stirring, then add your vinegar.
Stir again to coat the potatoes, then add your chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 1 hour.
Puree the potato base, then add your ham and onions.
Bring back to a simmer, add your kale and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
Season to taste.
To serve, bring to heat then add pickled kale stems and fresh cracked pepper.
