I made it as written. I used SOME of the stalk, not ALL of it!

Reviewed On: Feb. 10, 2013

This is a good comfort food but I wouldn't recommend using all the reserved bacon grease and am not even convinced that's what the author had in mind. That's an awful lot of fat! Use common sense and do what you think you should do. For me, I use the bit of grease left in the pan after removing it and a drizzle of olive oil. I don't have tarragon vinegar, so use raspberry vinegar, which I like with this better than apple cider vinegar. I also like to add 3 or so TBS. of brown sugar and water so mine comes out more like a southern collard green recipe.

Reviewed On: Feb. 3, 2011

If you like a more traditional ham and bean soup and just want it tastier and more homemade than the package directions, this is not the recipe you are after. This is not traditional ham and bean soup. It is very good, but I gave it two stars because of how far the base flavors stray from norm. If you are going to change it this much it should be called "southwest style ham and bean" or something. With the chili powder and significant tomato base, it taste a little more like chili than ham and bean soup. I'm bummed I made this much soup with this flavor when I was in the mood for something more chicken/hammy flavored. I make a big pot of chili when I'm in the mood for these flavors.

Reviewed On: May 13, 2010