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Apr 4, 2018 By Joe Carei for The 4 min read

One of the grandest things left over from Easter is not the leftover marshmallow peeps.

It is not the unfound eggs from the egg hunt.

And least of all, not the leftover decorated eggs you were not allowed to eat because they were too pretty.

The grandest thing (although some will lobby for chocolate), the most awesome item and certainly my favorite — the ham bone. Do not, I repeat, do not throw it away.

What to do once we have stripped the bone of its meat for sandwiches or leftovers? ItÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵ time to rock and roll. This is like getting an Easter bonus; it is full of flavor and will add to many dishes and soups. It will impart a smoky, tasty layer to your cooking.

Join the bone broth craze and create a ham stock (broth). You can sip it as a health elixir and save $9 a cup, as that is what they are charging in the big cities. Better off, you can use it for soups or freeze for later to use in other dishes.

Ham stock (broth)

ham bone

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium Onions

2 carrots

2 celery sticks

2 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

1 gallon water

1 teaspoon salt

A few peppercorns

Chop the vegetables. Sweat the vegetable with the ham bone and olive oil. Add the water and bay leaves. Simmer for a minimum of 8 hours to get the entire flavor in the bone. You can use a stock pot for this application. Strain, season with salt and pepper and use. To create a deeper flavor and add a little more color to your broth, roast your bone first. Put it in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees.

If you make collard greens (or turnip, mustard greens) without pork, I don’t want to know you. But the most flavored greens are those made with a ham bone. You would probably want a little meat on the bones for this recipe, but it is not overly necessary.

Collard Greens

Meaty ham bone

1 large Onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves chopped

6 cups weakened ham or chicken stock

2 pounds collard greens, washed and trimmed

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ cup vinegar

Sweat the onion and ham bone in a pot until translucent and add garlic and cook another minute. Add stock and collard greens. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Remove ham bone and trim off all of the meat. Put meat and both peppers and sugar in with the greens and simmer another 30 minutes. Drain. Add vinegar to greens and adjust with salt and pepper.

Keep in mind, any liquid leftover from the greens is called ‘pot liquor’ and can be reserved or frozen for other dishes or added to the next cooking of greens.

Comfort beans

ham bone

1 pound dry Northern Beans rinsed

1 medium onion

2 celery ribs

3 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups ham or chicken stock

1 pinch of thyme

½ tsp pepper

Put all ingredients in a stockpot or crockpot. Simmer for 8 hours. Remove ham bone and trim all meat and put back in pot. Skim off fat. Smash some beans if they are too wet, this helps thicken it. To shorten cooking time, soak the beans overnight, but reduce your stock when cooking.

Other ham bone tips:

n If the bone is large, you can cut it in half and save one for another day

n use it in place of bacon in Manhattan clam chowder or minestrone soup by letting it simmer

n simmer a bone with your tomato sauce to add a ‘ragout’ flavor to it

n bury in your chili for a while on simmer for a deeper flavor

n add to water when cooking rice

n use the stock to cook vegetables or even better; some grits

n add a wrinkle to your pasta and add some ham bone stock to the cooking water

You do not have to wait until next Easter to get a bone. You can get it at your local butcher or supermarket. And of course, you can get them online. So tell the dog you are sorry, and use that ham bone.

Chef Joe Carei has been an award-winning chef in Fayette County nearly half of his life. The former PA Restaurateur of the Year now operates Ellie MaeÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵ Catering and Food Clubs. He can be reached at joe@elliemaescatering .com.