I do mise en place with wee dishes for ingredients in small quantities and bowls and jugs for large quantities. My galley kitchen does not have room for two kinds of work -- and two lots of mess -- under way at the same time.

I made nearly four litres of rather good ham and bean soup yesterday. Three-quarters of the batch is now in the freezer for future reference.

* One smoked ham hock
* Two to three litres of chicken stock (Canadian recipe -- both metric & Imperial measures in use!)
* A little olive oil
* Six cloves of garlic, chopped
* One large onion, chopped
* Three stalks of celery, chopped
* Black pepper ad lib
* Two or three bay leaves
* A goodly amount of dried oregano
* One pound of dried white beans (navy or Great Northern)
* Half a cup or so of split dried peas or lentils
* One teaspoon ground cumin
* A pinch or two of crushed dried chilis
* Salt (only at the end, and only if necessary)

Put the ham hock in an Instant Pot or similar programmable pressure-cooker. Add enough chicken stock to more or less immerse the hock, usually about two litres. Close the lid and set the controls for 15 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally, then set the hock on a plate to cool. Pour the pot liquor into a large jug or bowl.

Turn the Pot to its Saute setting and let it heat to its max. Then add the olive oil, the garlic and onion, and cook and stir until the onion is light brown and translucent;don't let the garlic scorch. Add the celery and continue cooking and stirring until it begins to show signs of browning. Grind rather a lot of black pepper into the Pot, then add the beans and peas, the bay leaves, and the oregano, cumin and crushed chilis. Pour in the stock in which you cooked the ham hock. Clamp on the lid, close the vent, and set the controls for 30 minutes at high pressure.

While the beans are cooking, take the meat off the ham hock and dice it fairly small.

Allow the Pot to release its pressure naturally, then open the lid and add the diced ham. Stir well and taste. Then, and only then, decide if it needs salt. It probably won't.

Serve with whole-wheat toast and maybe some nippy cheese.

NB: When made in an Instant Pot, this takes about half the afternoon, with only about 45 minutes of actual chopping and stirring. It can be made in an ordinary soup kettle on the stove, but that way takes hours and hours, and you have to remember to set the beans to soak the night before.