Hearty Gammon 'One Pot' Soup

This is such a comfort food recipe, to be eaten on those nights where its just getting a bit colder in the season. Its only August but the temptation to put the central heating on keeps coming into my mind. I won't yet... but I am going to make more stews and soups to warm me up.

I have been making this gammon recipe for many, many years now and the base of it doesn't change - just the added vegetables, as its more of what I happen to have - with a few staples (carrots, potatoes etc.) You can add cabbage, swede, parsnips, kale.. anything you fancy.

I tend to buy a 1kg piece of unsmoked gammon for this, as it makes loads (it freezes well). You need to soak this joint though, to remove the salt. I tend to do this overnight in the fridge in a large pot of water, ready to be drained and refreshed the next day. So we have a lovely warming soup/stew with tons of flavour. And its a one pot dish too!

Ingredients:

1kg joint of boneless unsmoked gammon
4 bay leaves
8 peppercorns
500g small new potatoes, quartered
1 onion, roughly chopped
8 carrots, cut into chunks
1 bulb fennel, roughly chopped
100g thin green beans, halved
100g broccoli, cut into florets, stem chopped

Method:

After soaking the gammon overnight (or up to 5 hours), put in a large pot and cover with water, peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 90 minutes.

Add the potatoes, carrots, onion and fennel and continue to cook on the stove top for 15 minutes. Then add the green beans and broccoli along with a good grind of black pepper (you don't want any salt).

Carefully take the gammon out and put onto a chopping board. Shred the meat with two forks and add the meat back to the veg. Stir to combine.

Ten minutes later it should be ready. Serve the gammon and veg with some of the delicious stock and a spoon of English mustard on the side. With a few pieces of bread and butter - is there anything more comforting?