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Tiffani Thiessen's Ham Hock & Bean Stew Recipe
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Pull Up a Chair: Tiffani Thiessen shares a family favorite sure to bring your loved ones to the table!
Food + Text by Tiffani Thiessen Photography by Rebecca Sanabria
A few years back, I was sitting in my office when someone screamed out loud, “OMG, she is reading SweetPaul!” The scream was about actress Tiffani Thiessen, who had posted a picture of herself on Instagram reading“Sweet Paul Magazine.” As a fan, that was really big!
A year later, we set up a meeting. I was so nervous before meeting her. You hear stories about celebrity behavior, and you never know. Well, after two seconds and a very warm hug, all my fears were forgotten. She was and is the sweetest person ever.
Tiffani has always been so supportive of everything we do, and now she is coming out with her first cookbook, “PullUp a Chair.” It’s a stunning book, filled to the brim with easy and delicious recipes. As she told me, “It’s so important to get delicious, genuine food on the table to bring loved ones together.”
Order Tiffani's New Book Today!
We are so lucky to share her Bean & Ham Hock Stew withour dear readers.
This was a standby dish in my house that my mom would usually make on Sundays, so we could eat it throughout the week. She’d always use navy beans, which would get nice and creamy. And the secret to giving the beans the most deliciously deep, meaty flavor? A few ham hocks—astaple ingredient in my mom’s kitchen, like so many other working-class families’, because they were cheap.Far be it from me to change a good thing, so I’ve stayed true to the original recipe. The only slight difference is that I’ve added bay leaves and a touch of herbes de Provence, an aromatic blend of dried rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lavender.
Bean & Ham Hock Stew
SERVES 4 TO 6
1 pound dried navy beans, rinsed and picked over
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 meaty ham hocks (about 3 pounds)
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 medium fennel bulb, cored and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup white wine
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
1. In a large bowl or pot, combine the beans, baking soda, and 3 quarts water and set aside to soak overnight.Drain and rinse the beans.2. In a large stockpot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.Add the ham hocks and sear until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side.Remove from the pan and set aside.3. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the onion and fennel. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up whatever ham hock and onion bits may have stuck to the bottom of the pot. Simmer until the liquid has cooked off, about 2 minutes. 4. Add the bay leaves, herbes de Provence, salt, pepper, and 2 quarts water. Return the ham hocks to the pot and bring the water to a full boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the ham hocks are tender, about 2 hours. 5. Stir in the beans and cook, covered, until the meat is falling off the bones, about 1 hour more. Transfer the ham hocks to a plate to cool; continue cooking the beans. Discard the skin and bones from the ham hocks and shred the meat. Return the meat to the pot and cook until the beans are tender and the stew has thickened, another 45 to 60 minutes.
Garnish each serving with fresh parsley.
