White Bean and Ham Stew

This was a fairly easy recipe.  There was the prep work which involved chopping a lot of veggies, but it wasn't too bad.  The cooking time is like three hours, but largely unattended so that it nice.  We all weren't sure what we would think of it.  My husband and I were pleasantly surprised, my son was not a fan.  The liquid part he was ok with but the rest... He even didn't like the cheese toast.  Most likely he didn't like the soggy bottom nor the Swiss; I happened to love it.  It makes a huge portion; next time I will be halving the recipe. I had a large bit of ham on hand so I used it rather than go out and buy the ham hocks.  As a result, I think the broth was a little watery tasting, so I put a spoonful of ham bouillon in the stew at the beginning of the third hour. I think this dish would lend itself to using up all kinds of leftovers.

White Bean and Ham Stew  

4    meaty smoked ham hocks (about 3 1/2 pounds)
1/2 lb dried cannellini or borlotti beans (1 1/4 cups),picked over and rinsed
3 qt water
2    medium red-skinned potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1    large leek,white and pale green parts only, cut int
1    large celery rib,cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1    large carrot,cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1    large parsnip,cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 lb Savoy cabbage,cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 one quarter inch-thick slices of peasant bread,lightly toasted
2 c  shredded Gruyère or Comté cheese
Pairing  Suggestion Bright, juicy Beaujolais
1. In a large pot, combine the smoked ham hocks with the cannellini
beans and water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for
1 hour. Add the potatoes, leek, celery, carrot, parsnip, cabbage and
1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cover the stew and simmer over low heat for 1
hour.
2. Transfer the ham hocks to a plate. Simmer the stew uncovered over
moderate heat until thickened and the beans and vegetables are very
tender, about 45 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, discard the skin and bones from the hocks and cut the
meat into bite-size pieces. Add the meat to the stew as it simmers.
Season the stew with pepper.
4. Preheat the broiler. Ladle the hot stew into 8 heatproof soup bowls
and place the bowls on a large cookie sheet. Cover each bowl with a
toast and spread the cheese on top. Broil 4 inches from the heat,
rotating the bowls as necessary, until the cheese is lightly browned,
about 3 minutes. Serve right away.
Make Ahead The stew can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat
thoroughly, adding a little stock or water if necessary, before topping
and broiling.