Ham and Lentil soup

Three times this winter I've gotten hams and planned to use the hambone to make stock for a hearty lentil soup. It just never happened. All winter I've longed for the comfort of a thick hearty soup. You know, the kind of soup that warms you down to the bones on a frigid winter day. With fresh home made bread. Mmmm. Well now that the snow is melting and they are calling for mid 40's weather, I finally get around to making my yummy Ham and Lentil soup.

My house smells so yummy. The boys thought I was making bacon for breakfast while the hambone was boiling away. I don't really use a recipe...soup is kind of forgiving like that if you understand the basics of cooking.

Here's what I did:

Boil hambone in a stock pot for a while. (20 minutes or so) Remove hambone and cool. Pick off ham and add to pot. ( toss away bone and fat...duh!)

Add:

2 chopped onions

5-6 ribs of celery chopped

5-6 carrots peeled and sliced
2 crushed cloves of garlic

2 cans of tomatoes (I whiz in food processor because my kids hate chunks of tomatoes)
cups of rinsed lentils
2 cups of frozen swiss chard (optional- I like it for color and added nutrients)
handful of chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Boil away until the lentils thicken and your house smells heavenly.

Serve with yummy home made bread.

Mmmm. Can you just feel the love?