Hambone Soup

Something a little off kilter ... on a cold night when your wanting something hearty but nice to the wasteline, here's an idea

• take a 1 lb bone-in ham steak, trim and debone
• place the trimmed fat into a stockpot with a little olive oil and render the fat
• add in a couple chopped garlic cloves and caramelize the bone
• in a separate saute pan, caramelize 3 yellow onions, halved and sliced about 1/8 inch thick
• once the onions are golden & translucent, add in the ham steak (diced)
• add 1 cup vegetable stock to the stockpot once the bone has done its work, reduce by half
• strain the soup base through a sieve, removing the bone, trimmings, and garlic; return the base to the stockpot
  
• once the ham is cooked through and the onions are turning brown, deglaze the pan with 2 cups water, reduce a bit and then combine in the stock pot
• add 2 cups water to the stockpot
• place 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon greek oregon, and 5 cloves into a spice ball or cheese cloth and introduce to the stockpot
• add 2-3 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika, and a teaspoon of salt
• bring to a boil and add 2 cans (drained) of cannellini beans
• add 2 tablespoons brown sugar and simmer for 30-40 minutes, removing the spice ball / cheese cloth after about 20 minutes
  
• adjust paprika and salt to taste
  

The finished soup is hearty, smoky sweet, and guilt-free.