Ham & Vege Soup

This is a great winter soup. It's really easy, feeds a truckload of people and keeps well in the fridge or freezer. Everyone has a recipe like this I'm sure. It's a New Zealand standard and is probably made in some form or another the world over. Anyway, here it is.



It doesn't really look like much in the picture but remember there's a whole pile of smoked bacon hock at the bottom of the bowl, yum.

1 bacon hock (we used a manuka smoked, dry cured, free range organic hock from the 5th Ave butchers, $7)
2 packets of Kings vege soup mix
18 cups of warm water

Put the water and the hock in a large pot. pour in soup mix and stir. Bring to the boil. Turn down and simmer for 2 hours stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Taste after 1 hour and if too salty add a small onion, peeled and diced. Let cool and skim the fat off (if there is any).
Remove the hock from the soup and when cool enought to handle skin and then shred it. Add the meat to the soup and reheat to serve.
It is perfect on a cold winter night with hot buttered bread and butter.