Ham Bone Pinto Bean Soup with Okra

I had a ham bone, so soup was on the menu.  It was a high-end ham, uncured, no nitrates, antibiotic free, low-sodium (compared to all others) and I had a ton left over.  I soaked my pinto beans overnight and thought about how I'd put this together... I knew I wanted some heat in it but that was all.  I slept on it and below is what I came up with today.  I will say my ingredients may have been inspired as I marathoned a 20 year old cooking show today called "Great Chefs of New Orleans" on Amazon Prime...😊

• 3 strips of thick bacon, sliced in one inch pieces, fried and for garnish
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bunch of carrots with greens trimmed, sliced (my bunch had 5 small carrots)
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• Fresh thyme, few stalks in twine bundle
• Fresh cilantro, handful in twine bundle and coarsely chopped for garnish
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 stalks of celery, sliced
• 1 Serrano pepper with seeds and innards, diced small
• 2 cups sliced frozen okra 
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 cups dried pinto beans, soaked overnight in cold water then rinsed and drained
• 1 ham bone
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Trader Joe's Mushroom & Company Multipurpose Umami Seasoning Blend
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• 7 cups organic low-sodium "Better than Bouillon" chicken stock
• 3 cups leftover ham, diced
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Hmm, sort of like all my soups I surmised.  Why ruin a good thing I guess?  In a dutch oven, saute the bacon until crisp. 

Remove and dab off fat on paper towels.  

Fry the onion, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic, Serrano and ham bone in the bacon fat, lifting up the brown bits from the bottom. 

When veggies are soft, add in all the seasonings.  I didn't use salt yet...Pour in the chicken stock, herb bundle, bay leaves and pinto beans. 

Bring to boil then turn down heat.  Cover and let simmer for about an hour until beans are tender.  Remove ham bone and scrape any meat off it.  Take out the bay leaves and herb bundle. 

Add all the remaining ingredients and let simmer another half hour. 

Check seasoning and serve garnishing with bacon and cilantro.

Mmmm...spot-on spicy.  This had the kick I've been missing in the last few meals I've eaten.  I almost went with two Serranos but didn't want to blow it out so that it wasn't enjoyable for us and it was just right.  We both said the broth was the star - anything would have tasted good in there.  But, that okra is soooo delish in soup.