2 pounds cauliflower, fresh or frozen

1 ham bone, preferably with some decent meat left on it

I quart chicken stock

Water

2 bay leaves

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

2 cups ham, either pulled from the bone or additional, chopped into bite-size pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Place ham bone in a large soup pot with the cauliflower, chicken stock and bay leaves. Add enough water to cover most of the ham bone. (Usually no more than 1-2 cups.)

On high heat, bring to a simmer, then set heat to low, cover pot and allow to simmer for at least an hour. (More time is always nice, if you can.)

Once meat is falling off the bone, remove ham bone, bay leaves and meat from the broth and set aside.

Add chopped vegetables to the broth, heat and let simmer about 15 minutes, or until vegetables are softened.

Pull meat from bones and chop into bite-sized pieces.

With an immersion blender, process broth and vegetables to a thick puree’. You can leave a few larger pieces, if you like, but I tend to prefer mine pretty smooth.

Stir in chopped ham and simmer until heated through.