A number of wonderful soups can be made when you have a nice ham bone with bits of meat on it. The spicy ham, dried legumes, and fresh vegetables make filling and tasty fare.
1 pound lentils
1 ham bone
3 quarts water
2 carrots, sliced
2 onions, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
cloves, salt and pepper
Soak the lentils overnight. In the morning. put them with the ham bone, vegetables, and the seasonings in water and cook for 2-3 hours. Remove the ham bone, the bay leaf and the thyme. Skim the soup if necessary. Cut pieces of meat from the ham bone and return to the soup.