Hambone Corn Chowder

Every time we make an on sale ham we challenge ourselves to stretch it out and only use ingredients available in the pantry. In the spirit of not wasting anything, the ham bone and all those little pieces that are hard to use, are made into a homemade corn chowder that is perfect for cold mornings.

Ingredients:
1 ham bone
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 shallot chopped
2 large Yukon potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 carrots chopped
2-3 stalks of celery chopped
1 jalapeno chopped
½ red pepper chopped
Kernels from 1 ear of grilled corn, or 1 can
1 leek white part chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
½ cup heavy cream or half and half
½ cup sherry or Marsala
1 tsp Tabasco Chipotle hot sauce
2 can of creamed corn
1 sprig thyme
2 sage leaves chopped
1 cup ham chopped

In a Dutch oven, add butter, oil, onion, shallot, potato, carrot, celery, jalapeno, and red pepper then cook on medium heat until softened. Add corn kernels, leek, and garlic then cook for 1-2 minutes more.
Add the sherry and cook for about 5 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
Add the 4 cups of broth in and the ham bone. Add bay leaves and water until bone is halfway covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until very fragrant, about an hour. Remove and discard bone.
Add the parsley, cream, hot sauce, creamed corn, thyme, and sage, then simmer for an hour on low heat.
Add cooked ham and cook for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and serve. Leftover soup can be portioned and frozen for later.