Butter Beans, Ham & Dumplings, a Southern cuisine favorite of Eric's (and a dish his mother, Shirley made often) is a cozy, belly-warming stew that can chase away a winter chill with every spoonful. Shirley, a Southern Belle in her soul, was actually born in the Midwest, which is perhaps how she came to learn of the dumpling variation known as rivels, attributed in part to the Pennsylvania Dutch dish Rivel Soup. Eric has perfected this delightfully diminutive dumpling for those who need to eat gluten-free! You can find the recipe here.
Makes 10-12 portions of Stew
Ingredients
- 12 cups Water
- 4 meaty Smoked Ham Hocks or Pork Shanks
- 1 Onion, diced
- 2 stalks Celery, small dice
- 1 large Carrot, small dice
- 3 bags frozen Lima Beans
- 1 teaspoon dried Thyme
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- one Dumplings (Rivels) recipe- approximately 4 cups
Directions
- Place pork in Instant Pot or Dutch oven and cover with water.
- Cook on "Stew" setting in Instant Pot for 25 minutes, or covered in Dutch oven on stovetop on low heat until meat is tender and falls easily off the bone (about an hour and a half).
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Remove hocks from ham stock and cool.
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Pick meat from the hocks when cooled, set aside.
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Add diced onion, celery, carrots, lima beans and dried thyme to the ham stock.
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Bring the vegetables up to a slow boil for a few minutes then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until the beans and vegetables are tender.
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Just before serving, add the prepared dumplings and the picked ham to the bean soup and simmer until dumplings are heated through. Adjust seasoning if needed with salt and pepper to taste.