Easter Ham Left Overs

This is a great recipe for that left over Easter Ham. Make sure you use the ham hock, it adds more flavor and richness to the soup. I usually make a smaller batch than this, and for convenience I use canned black beans. I also don't usually have bacon in the house so it's fine to leave it out. It is yummier with bacon, of course!

Black Bean Soup

2 quarts water
1 lb. black beans
½ lb. bacon
1 ½ cups diced onion
1 ½ cups diced carrots
1 ½ cups diced celery, with leaves
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon thyme
3 Tablespoons cumin
1 ½ teaspoons oregano
10 cups chicken broth
2 ham hocks (or 1-2 cups cooked ham)
½ teaspoons Cayenne pepper
6 Tablespoons lime juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Garnish with Sour cream
Soak the beans in the 2 qt. water, overnight. Drain. Cook the bacon in a large soup pot. Remove from the pot and drain off most of the fat. Reserve a few tablespoons of the fat to cook the vegetables in. Cook the vegetables, except the garlic and beans, in the pot for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme, 1 T. of the cumin and oregano; cook for 5minutes. Add broth, ham hocks and bacon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 2-2 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender. Remove the ham hocks and scrape the meat from the bones; return the meat to the soup. Add the Cayenne pepper, 2 T. cumin and the lime juice. Stir well. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream. Recipe by Joy Philbin