Creole white bean/ham and shrimp

Karen asked for the recipe for Creole white bean and ham with shrimp recipe.  Ann made it while she was here and this is how (we) did it.  You can adjust it all to your taste and needs, Karen, so this is how I would do it after watching Ann.  She wanted to make it to take to a party that was going on in Pittsburg this week end.  We just kept a bit to taste. Karen if you have a good recipe for ham and bean soup use that and cook until not soupy, then add the Creole seasoning and garlic powder, chopped ham and shrimp along with the New Orleans trinity of green pepper, onion and celery.

I started the whole thing off in two crock pots with left over ham bones from the freezer.  If I were doing it I would use a Rose shoulder butt ham as shown on my facebook.  (Ann
and, I would use the big electric turkey roaster that I have if we were doing it for a crowd and we were.)  In the pot you are using fill the pot to cover the ham bone or ham butt with some fresh herbs and a whole onion cut in half thrown in.  Soak your great northern beans overnight.  We actually soaked four pounds, but normal people don't need that many. lol Let this go for hours until you have a nice broth. Don't season.  Remove the Rose ham and set it aside to chop up to add at the last minute.  But if you are using ham bones, leave them in if you have room when the beans are added.  Next get some butter and olive oil going in a big skillet and add 4 big chopped onions, 4-6 stalks of celery chopped, and one large diced, finely diced, green pepper--the New Orleans trinity, in other words. When the trinity has some good color, add it to the ham broth and use some chicken broth or more water if you think there is not enough to cover the beans that have soaked overnight.  So, add the beans,  3 sprigs of thyme, some parsley chopped, some hot pepper flakes or hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning,  some fresh oregano, a big amount of garlic powder to your taste,  but NO SALT UNTIL THE BEANS ARE COOKED TO DONENESS. Add two or three cans of Rotel tomato and green chilis.
For several hours stir and taste, stir and taste.  When the beans are tender season with salt and black pepper.  Keep picking out the spent fresh herbs and adding fresh ones.  (If I were doing it I would stir in a tablespoon of dijon mustard, but Ann would not.)  At this point just add what you think it needs, you can't hurt it.  When it is to the stage you want it, put in the chopped ham and the 2 pounds of shrimp.  (Cook some white rice or curly buttered noodles and top them off with your Creole beans.)
Actually, it is like a thick ham and bean soup with Creole seasoning and then at the last you add the shrimp.

Rose hams and their virtues

The virtues of Rose shoulder hams are many, but finding them is no small matter.  They used to be in our markets at holiday time, but then they disappeared altogether.  I found the official site online but it was $48. to ship four little hams...you could buy three more hams for that cost, so Giant Eagle ordered them for us and they were here in a day or two.  These gems are delicious anywhere you put them.  They can be in long cooking green beans with potatoes and corn, in various soups, with noodles and ham, in potato soup.  The list is long and seemingly endless.  Matt even likes them sliced and eaten as is.

Actually, I think the loaf I sent to Pittsburg is better than what I bought today.  I am not sure it is the same recipe because the other was much moister and full of nuts, cranberries, and raisins.  This one seems sparse.

Another thing we found at Giant Eagle in the bakery was walnut, cranberry, raisin bread; oh my gosh, it is so moist and delicious. We ate some of it but I sent the rest to bread girl in Pittsburg because Ann is heading back there for weekend activities and bread girl only eats bread. (She has now added a few other things to the mix, but when I knew her bread was the main meal for her.)

I just found this in the fridge. Ann Bettencourt left me this Creole white bean, ham, and shrimp dish to serve with rice or buttered noodles; it looks delicious she made it a whole coffin of it. This is what she left for me, thank you, Ann.

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