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a bowl of clear brown broth with intact small green-brown lentils, quartered brown mushrooms, small whole pale pearl onions and torn pink ham pieces
Rachel Kim

Ham and Lentil Soup with Mushrooms

French green lentils hold their shape in the ham broth, which makes this soup more like a collection of tender ingredients than a blended lentil base. Brown the mushrooms before adding the wine so they develop an edge of flavor that a long simmer alone won't produce. The ham hocks make the stock first, then their meat returns with the lentils while the skin and bones stay out of the serving bowls. Frozen pearl onions save a fiddly peeling job and soften neatly beside the lentils. Check the broth before reaching for salt, especially if the hocks are strongly smoked or heavily cured.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb meaty smoked ham hocks
  • 8 cups water for stock plus enough to restore strained stock to 5 cups
  • 1 medium yellow onion quartered
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms quartered
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1 cup dry French green lentils sorted and rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen peeled pearl onions
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp sherry vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt only if needed

Method
 

  1. Place ham hocks, stock water, quartered onion and bay leaf in a large pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim foam and cook partly covered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the meat is tender and pulls from the bones.
  2. Lift hocks onto a tray. Strain the stock, discard onion and bay leaf, skim excess fat and measure 5 cups liquid, adding water if needed.
  3. Remove skin, bones and gristle from the hocks once cool enough to handle and tear the usable meat into bite-size pieces.
  4. Heat butter and oil in a clean soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown mushrooms for 7 to 8 minutes, add garlic for 30 seconds, then pour in wine and reduce by half, about 3 minutes.
  5. Add the measured stock, lentils, pearl onions, thyme, pepper and ham meat. Simmer partly covered for 30 to 40 minutes until lentils are tender but intact and ham reaches 165°F.
  6. Stir in sherry vinegar and taste before adding up to the measured salt. Divide among six bowls.