Green Bean Soup with Ham and Summer Savory (Shaubel Zuhp)

This is my favourite soup and I always make it when the green beans from the garden are ready.

Regular green or yellow beans are best and you must have fresh summer savory. As I've mentioned before you need to plant this herb in the garden yourself as it is not readily available. Before it blooms, cut enough for the freezer.

The best type of potatoes for soup and salad are the waxy ones. I like the Island Ambers, Warbas and Norchips from Westham Island Herb Farm or you can sometimes find German potatoes in Richmond at a farm stand. Yukon Golds from a produce store are also good. At this time of year, be sure to take advantage of all the new potatoes available.

Regarding parsley, I use both stems and leaves --- the stems are not hard and they have a lot of flavour. I try to add parsley in the last few minutes of cooking anything so it still looks fresh and green.



Green Bean Soup with Summer Savory


Ingredients:
Ham hock with bone
16 cups cold water
5 large potatoes, or 8-10 small new potatoes
4 cups green yellow beans
1 bunch fresh summer savory
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped with stems
10 peppercorns

Instructions:
You can make the stock the day before or in the morning. Refrigerate the stock and ham if you are not making the soup right away.
Put the ham, summer savory and peppercorns (in a spice ball) into a large pot with the water.
Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 2 hours.
Remove the ham and put it on a board or platter.
Remove the summer savory stems and discard. Remove the spice ball.
When ready to make the soup, wash the potatoes (preferably new potatoes, the waxy type).
Cut into bite sized pieces but do not peel.
Add to the soup and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes while you prepare the beans.
Trim the beans and cut them into 1 inch pieces, and add beans to the soup and simmer about 15 minutes.
Cut the ham off the bone and discard bone, rind, and fat. Cut the ham into pieces and put back into the soup. I love the fat and rind so I sneak a few tidbits while cooking.
Add the fresh parsley, chopped with leaves and stems, and cooking.

Serve with brown bread and a bowl of sour cream on the side.

This soup does not freeze well because of the potatoes, so just eat it all week.