I wish all leftover meals were this good!

Relatively early Tuesday morning, I pulled a ham bone out of the freezer and put it in our big, cast iron dutch oven. I think we made the ham for a family party just after Thanksgiving, and it’s been taking up room in the freezer since then. Covered with water, or as close to covering as I could get given the dimensions of the pot. Brought it to a boil, and then let it simmer for the rest of the morning. By now, any leftover meat was starting to fall off the bone.

Soon after lunch, I started adding kale into the pot, along with some garlic and pepper. As the kale cooked down, I kept adding more. Eventually I added all of a good-size bunch, and later added some mixed greens that was heavy on spinach.

Sometime around the 6 p.m. news, I put in some carrots and celery, followed by a can of garbanzo beans, after draining and rinsing.

Once the carrots were cooked, this fine soup was ready for the table.

Served with whole wheat french bread and a plate of tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, and avocado. The glass of red wine didn’t make it into the picture. It was fabulous, and oh so simple. All it needs is time. We enjoyed it two nights in a row, and there’s enough left for a lunch.

And, as usual, click on the photo to see a larger version.