Traditionally January 6 is the Epiphany of the Lord or Three Kings Day. It is the day the Magi arrived in Bethlehem. While Church outside of the United States still honors the traditional date of the Epiphany, in America this feast has been moved to the first Sunday following January 1.
It can be argued that by moving the Epiphany to a Sunday observance, more of the faithful can participate in the Mass. By moving the observance to a Sunday it automatically becomes a Holy Day of Obligation, as all Sundays are days of Obligation. If the argument is that more Catholics will attend Mass if the observance is moved to Sunday, why not move Christmas? Oh, guess the Epiphany isn’t important enough. And if attendance is an argument, why is January 1 a Holy Day of Obligation? I would be willing to wager that is the least attended day of Obligation in the entire church calendar. And if we are being completely honest, Hubby and I have yet to manage to attend mass on New Year’s Day. It’s one of my yearly confessions.
The nice thing about observing the Epiphany as a Sunday is that this year we can talk about the National Day before us – Bean Day. This really should be New Year’s Day in keeping with the Southern tradition of Black Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day. I tried Black Eyed Peas once – no thank you. Our New Year’s tradition is Ham Bone and Beans, utilizing our Christmas Ham. Even when we don’t host a Christmas Supper, serving a ham in the days leading up to New Year’s Eve is a must. Need that ham bone for New Year’s Day.
If this recipe seems familiar, it’s one I’ve shared before for the New Year. This time I thought we’d dust it off for National Bean Day, then switch things up a bit to create a delicious Ham and Bean Soup. Have a great Monday!
Smoky Ham Bone and Bean Soup
1 cup Pinto Beans
1 cup Pink Beans
1/2 medium Yellow Onion
6 cups Water or more, divided
1 Ham Bone, with plenty of meat still attached (Christmas Ham)
Pick through beans, rinse with cold water to remove any dirt. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Let beans soak overnight.
Drain water from pot and rinse beans. Return to pot with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
Peel and dice onion while the pot comes to a boil. Lower heat, add onion and let simmer until beans are tender but firm, about 3 hours, adding more water as necessary.
Add ham bone and any additional ham left over from Christmas. Add 2 more cups of water to nearly submerse ham. Simmer for 1 hour.
Seasonings Added at End
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Mesquite Seasoning
1 tablespoon Beef Bouillon Powder
2 tablespoons Masa Flour
Remove bone from pot. Pick off any ham remaining on bone to add to the pot. Season with salt, pepper and Mesquite Seasoning to taste.
In a glass measuring cup ladle about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Add bouillon powder and masa flour to the liquid. Whisk to blend. Pour into the pot. Stir to blend and let liquid thicken slightly. Taste, adjust seasonings as desired. Ladle into bowls, serve with sweet corn bread.
Northern Style Sweet Corn Bread
Dry Ingredients
1-1/2 Cup Flour
2/3 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Yellow Corn Meal
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Heat oven to 350-degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Set aside until ready to use.
Combine dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. Set aside.
Wet Ingredients
2 Large Eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 Cups Milk
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
In another bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add wet ingredients and whip until well blended.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix until well incorporated. Pour batter into baking pan.
Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven, serve warm with plenty of sweet, creamy butter.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
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