Name: Ham hock soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 160 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 6 - 8
Ingredients: 1 tbsp coconut oil, duck fat or tallow or other fat; 2 onions, cut into thin wedges; 3 litres (12 cups) chicken stock, preferably homemade or salt-reduced, or water; 1 large smoked ham hock (1kg-1.2kg); 2 each carrots and celery stalks, thinly sliced; 1 turnip (150gm), peeled, cut into 1cm dice; 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 1 tsp ground turmeric; ½ tsp ground cumin; 300 gm pumpkin, such as butternut, peeled, cut into 2cm dice; 2 zucchini (330gm), cut into 1cm dice; 4 silverbeet leaves (about ½ bunch), stalks removed, coarsely torn; Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste; To serve: chilli flakes

Ham hock soup

The comfort bowl you need when the temperature starts to dip.

Loading the player...

Serves 6 - 8

Prep

20M

Cook

2H 40M

Total

Skip to Recipe

Leading into the winter months there’s nothing more nourishing for our souls than nutrient-dense soups. The ham hock soup here is rich in protein, minerals and collagen from the ham, while the silverbeet contains phytonutrients and antioxidants. Importantly, it’s delicious too.

Seeking more soup recipes?

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil, duck fat or tallow or other fat

2 onions, cut into thin wedges

3 litres (12 cups) chicken stock, preferably homemade or salt-reduced, or water

1 large smoked ham hock (1kg-1.2kg)

2 each carrots and celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 turnip (150gm), peeled, cut into 1cm dice

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp ground cumin

300 gm pumpkin, such as butternut, peeled, cut into 2cm dice

2 zucchini (330gm), cut into 1cm dice

4 silverbeet leaves (about ½ bunch), stalks removed, coarsely torn

Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

To serve: chilli flakes

Method

1.Heat oil or fat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and stir occasionally until tender (3-5 minutes). Add stock or water, ham hock, carrot, celery, turnip, garlic and spices, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, adding more water as necessary to keep ham hock just covered, until meat is very tender (about 2 hours). Add pumpkin and cook for 10 minutes, then add zucchini, and simmer uncovered until vegetables are tender and meat is falling from the bone (15-20 minutes).

2.Remove ham hock from soup and, when cool enough to handle, shred or coarsely chop meat (discard skin and fat), add to soup, bring to a simmer, then add silverbeet and simmer uncovered until just wilted (2-4 minutes).

3.Serve soup warm, seasoned to taste with lemon juice, a generous grind of cracked pepper and chilli flakes.

Pete Evans

Styling by Deborah Kaloper

Ingredients

Method

Related stories