Ham Hocks

[LizStreithorst]

I have this vegetable garden.  I planted just a single zucchini since it's just for the pleco's and me.  OMG, this sucker produces!  Thank God I have a ton of BN that adore it.  I keep looking for ways to use up what they don't eat.  I toss zucchini in everything these days and still have too many.  I've had it sauteed with onions and garlic, fried it into zucchini chips, made into stuffed boats, or sliced into rounds boats, topped with pepperoni, mozzerella, and red pepper flakes.  I take some to my LPS for them to either eat themselves or feed to the animals they keep.  I was running out of ideas.  That's where the ham hock came in.

I'm making a ham hock and zucchini soup.  All it takes is the ham hock, chopped celery, a chopped onion, a bay leaf, a little home made chicken stock, water to cover and a touch of liquid smoke plus salt and pepper.  I got to use up 4 zucchini!  I was amazed at how flavorful this was.  I've decided that putting a ham hock in just about anything cooked in liquid makes it better.

[wsantia1]

I have this vegetable garden.  I planted just a single zucchini since it's just for the pleco's and me.  OMG, this sucker produces!  Thank God I have a ton of BN that adore it.  I keep looking for ways to use up what they don't eat.  I toss zucchini in everything these days and still have too many.  I've had it sauteed with onions and garlic, fried it into zucchini chips, made into stuffed boats, or sliced into rounds boats, topped with pepperoni, mozzerella, and red pepper flakes.  I take some to my LPS for them to either eat themselves or feed to the animals they keep.  I was running out of ideas.  That's where the ham hock came in.

I'm making a ham hock and zucchini soup.  All it takes is the ham hock, chopped celery, a chopped onion, a bay leaf, a little home made chicken stock, water to cover and a touch of liquid smoke plus salt and pepper.  I got to use up 4 zucchini!  I was amazed at how flavorful this was. I've decided that putting a ham hock in just about anything cooked in liquid makes it better.

I agree.

[Barb]

Sounds good Liz.  At what point do you add the zucchini?  I wish I had a plant like yours!
Barb

[LizStreithorst]

Barb. I discovered toward the end of tasting and cooking that it needed marmite.  It's a funky Australian invention made from yeast and God knows what. It adds a certain umani like nothing else. I rarely use it but this recipe desired it.  It is what made this soup a classic.  Here's the recipe

Zucchini Soup:

1 smoked ham hock
a couple tablespoons of olive oil or bacon fat
4 stalks of celery minced
4 or 5 medium zucchini sliced into thin rounds
1 clove garlic minced
1 jalapeno seeded and minced
1/2 c homemade chicken stock if you have it
6 or more cups of water
1 teaspoon marmite
1/3 cup heavy cream
salt to taste (mine needed a good bit) and freshly ground pepper to taste

heat oil or bacon fat over medium high
Toss in onions. jalapeno and celery
stir until tender but not browned
add zucchini and celery
cook stirring another 3 or 4 minutes
add ham hock bay leaf chicken stock if you have it, and water to cover
bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and cook stirring and adjusting heat from time to time for 45 min to an hour until meat from ham hock is tender
Stir in marmite and cream
Remove from heat and take out hock to cool a bit
Turn soup into a liquid with immersion blender
Cut skin from hock and cut up for dogs
shred meat with 2 forks or chop (shredding is better for some reason)
Put meat back into soup
season well with salt and freshly ground pepper
put garlic croutons on top to serve

I was just looking for a way to use up all this zucchini my one plant is presenting me with. I hoped this would be good enough to eat. I had no idea I'd create a masterpiece. It was sorely lacking in umami until the marmite that I so rarely use popped into my head.