Something Delicious for Dinner Tonight

Smoked Ham Hock with Lentils

This is a delicious dish and it's easy to make.

Ingredients:
1 smoked ham hock (found at Kualapuu Market on Moloka'i)
water to cover ham hock plus 1/2 inch
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 cups of thinly sliced carrots
2 cups diced onions
1 cup diced celery

3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
2 cups dry lentils
1 tablespoon of Tamari sauce or (to taste). Found in the Asian section of most grocery stores.
Garnish with chopped fresh parsley

Serve with 1 loaf of sliced French bread (toasted)

Procedure:

In a medium sized pot, large enough to hold all of the ingredients, add the ham hock and enough water to cover it plus about 1/2 inch of water. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for two hours, covered. The smoked ham hock is cured in salt and smoked, so the salt and smokiness will flavor the water giving the dish a lot of flavor.

After one hour and 15 minutes of cooking, remove the ham hock to a cutting board. Remove all of the bones and cut the meat into bite sized peaces. Add the chopped ham hock meat and the rest of the ingredients to the ham hock broth, except for the Tamari sauce and chopped parsley. Simmer the vegetables and lentils in the broth for about 25 to 30 minutes. The Tamari sauce adds wonderful umami flavor plus it adds a little more needed salt to the dish. Add it slowly, stir and taste as you go. Now taste the lentils and veggies to make sure they are cooked through.

That's it, serve in soup bowls garnished with chopped parsley. Serve with sliced, toasted French bread. I like it with served with melted butter brushed on.

Makes 4 servings.