SOUTHERN-STYLE GREEN BEANS AND HAM

SERVES 4

I call this southern-style because of the use of the country ham, an idea I came up with when I moved to the south. Actually, southerners would probably add some salt pork or bacon grease. The difference between this and the Pennsylvania Dutch Green Beans and Ham, other than the type of ham, is the lesser amount of broth. Like it's northern counterpart, it is very versatile in that you can use any amount of the ingredients you prefer. And, if you want to keep it lighter, just omit the butter.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds green beans, cleaned and snapped

About 1/4-pound thinly sliced country ham

2 medium potatoes, cut in large cubes

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

Water

Salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Place the ham slices in a large sauté pan. Add about 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until ham is tender. Remove ham from pot and cut into small pieces. Return to the pot and add the beans, potatoes and onions. Season with pepper. Add a bit more water if needed, but not too much. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans are very tender, about 1 hour. (Cooking time will depend on the age of the beans.) Taste the beans and add salt if needed but, since country ham is very salty, additional salt will probably not be necessary. If there appears to be too much broth, cook on high without the cover until some of the moisture evaporates. Add butter to beans and stir until melted; replace lid and cook an additional 10 minutes. This will keep, covered, over low heat until serving.

Notes: If you want more ham with this, add some leftover smoked ham pieces when you add the beans.

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