Hambone Corn Chowder

Background: Whenever we can pick up a whole ham, which is usually after Holidays since they tend to be about 50% off, we challenge ourselves to stretch it out and 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 along with fresh sourdough bread.

Ingredients:
1 ham bone
4 cups of vegetable broth, homemade if possible
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 large Yukon potato, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
½ red pepper, chopped
2 ears of grilled corn, remove kernels or 1 can of corn
1 grilled leek, white part chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
½ cup heavy cream or half and half
½ cup white wine
1 tsp hot sauce
1 can of creamed corn
1 sprig Thyme
2 sage leaves chopped
1 cup sliced/cubed cooked ham

(optional – add beans like cannellini beans or white kidney beans)

Directions:

In a Dutch oven, add butter, oil, onion, shallot, potato, carrot, celery, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook on medium heat until softened. Add corn, leek, and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
Add the wine and cook for about 5 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
Add the hambone into a Dutch oven and pour in 4 cups of broth. 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 and simmer for an hour on low heat.
Add cooked ham and cook for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and serve.