Home Food by writer ELIZABETH HEWSON delivers simple, comforting, sometimes nostalgic, always proudly imperfect family eating. On Sundays, Elisabeth recommends a comforting recipe to wrap yourself around before taking on a new week – like this bowl of smoky ham hock, potatoes and greens.

Read on for the method.

ABOUT THE RECIPE

Offering comfort in its simplicity, this dish rivals the warmth of a bowl of chicken soup. Built on three humble elements – a deep, soulful broth, a smoky hock that falls apart with the prod of a fork, and creamy potatoes that soak up every bit of flavour. My friend Lennox used to serve a version of this at his restaurant, Firedoor.

Every time I wrapped my hands around a bowl, it felt like, in that moment, everything was just as it should be – there’s a quiet reassurance in every bite. Lennox paired the smoky hock with creamy wood-oven roasted potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts, creating a beautiful balance of texture and flavour. My version draws on his, but holds the broth at its heart, with tender English spinach stirred through just at the end.

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A smoky, brothy bowl of ham hock, potatoes and greens

Ingredients – Serves 2

½ tablespoon olive oil
1 medium brown onion, roughly cut
into wedges
2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 cup (250 ml) dry white wine
500 ml (17 fl oz) chicken stock
300–500 ml (10½–17 fl oz) water
1 smoked ham hock
2 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
2–3 Dutch cream or désirée potatoes, peeled and chopped into 3 cm
(1¼ inch) chunks
big handful (50–60 g/1¾–2¼ oz) of English spinach leaves, picked from stems, washed thoroughly (see Note)

Method

Place a large, heavy saucepan with a lid over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, celery, carrot and garlic cloves. Fry for 3–5 minutes to get some colour on them, then pour in the white wine. Let it cook off for about 2 minutes, then add the chicken stock, water, ham hock, bay leaves and peppercorns. You want the hock almost covered, so if your pot is smaller, use a little less water. Season with a pinch of salt. Hocks can be salty, so I find it’s best to season properly after the cooking time. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently for 2½–3 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone.

Carefully scoop up the hock and set aside. Strain the stock into a clean saucepan, discarding the solids, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Drop in your potatoes and cook for 20 minutes until soft, keeping the heat low. You don’t want the broth on a furious boil, as this will cloud it, and will break up the potatoes.

Meanwhile, pull the ham hock meat off the bone, shred it and put it back into the broth. Turn off the heat, throw in the spinach and leave it to wilt for a minute. Serve in bowls with an extra drizzle of olive oil and a good grind of black pepper.

Note – Baby spinach or silverbeet also work well instead of spinach leaves. If using silverbeet, cook it for a minute or so longer.

Get ahead
This will freeze for 3 months (without the greens). Add the greens when you reheat the broth.

Read our interview with Elizabeth Hewson on her new book Home Food

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Hewson is a master of all trades – a home cook, author, founder and creator of the #SaturdayNightPasta movement, book and product range, entrepreneur, brand-builder, recipe writer, and is columnist for The Weekend Australian Magazine.

Elizabeth’s hunger for sharing food and stories started back in 2013 when she wrote her first book, ‘Moving out…Eating in’, a cookbook for home leavers. Shortly after, she packed her bags for Bra, a small town in Piedmont in Northern Italy. There, she studied her Masters in Food Culture & Communication at the University of Gastronomic Sciences (also known as the birthplace of the slow food movement).

During a period of anxiety, Elizabeth found solace in the humble act of making pasta every Saturday night. In fact, she soon established it as her self-care ritual. Slowly, over the years #SaturdayNightPasta became a movement and, right across the country, people took to social media to upload photos of themselves making pasta and adding the #SaturdayNightPasta hashtag. What followed next was a book, Saturday Night Pasta, recipes and rituals for the home cook, published in October 2020, and a food product range, launched in late 2022, which includes four pasta sauces and three dried pastas.

Elizabeth’s third book, Home Food, is out now.

Visit Elizabeth’s website here.

Follow Elizabeth on Instagram here.

Visit Murdoch Books’ website here.