Growing up in the countryside, one of the dishes that always warmed my heart and stomach was Ham and Country Dumplings. This is a recipe deeply rooted in tradition, carried from generation to generation. It’s a simple, rustic dish that’s packed with flavors and textures that remind me of home. The star of the dish is the tender, savory ham which is gently boiled to create a flavorful broth. Paired with homemade dumplings, the combination is a match made in culinary heaven. I love this recipe for its straightforward, wholesome ingredients and the deep, comforting flavors it brings to the table. It’s a dish that always brings me back to my childhood, and I’m excited to share it with you. Making this recipe is all about patience and love – it’s not a quick, throw-together meal, but the result is so worth it. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and start cooking!
Ingredients
- ham bone
- ham bouillon
- flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 c. cold water
Cooking Method
- Boil ham bone in large pot; remove bone, putting meat from bone back into the broth.
- Add ham bouillon to flavor.
Calorie: 600
Total cooking time: 2 hours
Difficulty level: medium
The Ham Bone Chronicles: A Tale of Ham and Country Dumplings
The Ham Bone Preamble
So, there I was, standing in my kitchen, staring down the ham bone like it was the final boss in some culinary video game. The ham bone, you see, is not just a hunk of meat; it’s a relic of dinners past, a monument to the glory of a roast well done. The ham bone is not to be trifled with. It demands respect and, in return, it gives you the most delicious soup base you could ever ask for.
The Ham Bone Boiling Bonanza
I clutched the ham bone, its bulky form barely contained in my tiny city-dwelling hands, and dropped it into the largest pot I own. The bone sank like the Titanic, and the water rose like an ocean of possibility. Then, I cranked the heat and waited for the boiling to begin. Watching a pot waiting to boil is like watching paint dry, only less colorful. So I did what any self-respecting cook would do: I opened a bottle of wine and put on some tunes.
Bone Extraction and the Ham Bouillon Intervention
As the pot began to bubble, the ham bone surrendered its meaty goodness to the water, transforming it into a gloriously rich broth. After a respectful amount of time, I fished out the bone, stripped it of its remaining meat and returned the meat to the broth. It felt like a reverse archeological dig, recovering delicious artifacts from the soup sea.
Now, it was time for the ham bouillon. I always feel like a mad scientist when I use bouillon. The little cubes, so unassuming, pack a punch of flavor that belies their size. Into the pot they went, dissolving into the broth like a culinary magic trick.
The Dumpling Debacle
With the broth simmering happily, it was time to tackle the dumplings. The ingredients were simple: flour, eggs, and cold water. I cracked the eggs into a bowl (only getting a minimal amount of shell in the process) and began mixing in the flour. Somewhere in the process, I forgot I was a food blogger and not a cement mixer. The resulting dough was tougher than a two-dollar steak.
From Dough to Dumplings
After wrestling the dough into submission, I started dropping spoonfuls into the pot. They bobbed around in the broth like little doughy life rafts. As they cooked, they puffed up into perfect, pillowy dumplings, which was a culinary miracle considering the workout the dough had been through.
The Final Tasting
Finally, it was time to taste. The ham was tender, the broth was flavorful, and the dumplings…well, they were a bit on the chewy side. But hey, who am I to argue with a dumpling? Besides, I’d worked up such an appetite wrestling with the dough, I could have eaten a shoe and it would have tasted good.
The Ham Bone Afterword
And so, another cooking tale comes to an end. The ham bone has been vanquished, the bouillon has done its job, and the dumplings, well, they were there too. And through it all, I learned some valuable lessons. Never underestimate the power of a ham bone. Always respect the bouillon. And when it comes to dumplings, don’t forget: you’re a food blogger, not a cement mixer. Until next time, happy cooking!
