Sunday Supper-Part I Italian Country Ham And Beans

• Country ham with balsamic glaze and bean soup
• 1 spiral sliced country ham
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon each of ground clove, allspice and mace
• 2--48 ounces jars of Northern beans
• 3 carrots, scrubbed
• 2 inner celery stalks with leaves
• 2-4 fresh bay leaves
• 5-6 whole peppercorns
• 1 onion, quartered
• 4-6 sprigs of thyme
• Southern Style Cornbread
• 3/4 cup corn meal
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons bacon fat or butter
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Simmer brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and spices in a small saucepan until reduced by half. It should be a nice syrupy consistancy. If you are using a pre-cooked ham, layer pan with foil, "fluff" out the ham a 1/16"inch and pour glaze on top/bottom of ham. Bake at 250-for 35-45 minutes.
2. Remove ham from bone. Use bone to make a ham stock. Add vegetables, cover with water and simmer 2-4 hours. Add onion in and simmer another hour or two. Skim, strain and chill overnight. The chilled stock will become very gelationous.
3. Bring stock up to a low boil and add 1 can of the northern beans, simmer 20 minutes (these are pre-cooked). Using a blender, puree the 2nd can of beans and add this to the simmering soup. Simmer while you make the cornbread.
4. Add chunks fo ham to the soup. Optional..also add diced onions.
5. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Use a metal pan and place 2 T. bacon fat or butter in pan and warm pan in oven.
6. Mix together all dry ingerdients and then add all wet ingredients except melted butter. Pour into heated/greased pan. Pour melted butter on top. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden.

country ham, country ham, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, ground clove, beans, carrots, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, onion, thyme, southern style, corn meal, flour, baking powder, salt, buttermilk, canola oil, bacon, butter

Taken from food52.com/recipes/14963-sunday-supper-part-i-italian-country-ham-and-beans (may not work)