God Bless the first person that cured a hind leg of pork to create ham. In other parts of the world this curing of the pig leg becomes proscuitto, or jamon serrano. Oh, how I love spiral ham. I love the smoky salty taste. I love how it is cut in even slices all the way to the bone. You can not get more bang for your buck then you get from having a spiral ham on hand.
When I open up my packed ham and usually throw away the spice pack that comes along with it because it is loaded with sugar and things I can not pronounce. That is your call. Some people just love the sugar coating. Then I throw it in the oven to heat up and you have your main entree for meal one.
I like to crisp up a piece of ham in the morning in butter and serve it up with a poached egg. My son likes crispy ham on a biscuit. I will also make ham sandwiches for my son’s lunch. I also chop up pieces of ham into small cubes to throw in pasta with peas, garlic, and Parmesan cheese for quick comfort food meal. My mom’s luscious scalloped potatoes and ham is a fond childhood food memory that I try to recreate as well.
As my ham dwindles down to the bone I start anticipating the soup that will be made from the ham bone. I love homemade soup. Most people think of split pea with ham when they think of using their ham bone. I love it and just use the recipe on the dried pea package.
On this day, I made a soup broth with the ham bone. I cut off excess meat from the bone and then stick the bone in a stock pot full of water with sliced up carrots, onions, and celery. Then add a little salt and pepper, a few bay leaves, and what herbs I have on hand. Put on my lowest setting on my burner and let it simmer all night while I sleep.
Next morning, I strain the broth, let cool in fridge, and then skim the fat off the top. Now I have a great broth that I use as a base for a fabulous soup. I throw in rice or noodles, a variety of veggies that I love and the last of the leftover ham that I kept for this sole purpose. I like mine with a squeeze of sriracha . Super satisfying. Super healthy for you. I save the rest of the broth in smaller containers to use in variety of different dishes.
One of new favorite ways of using spiral ham is quick homemade dinner of fried rice. My foodie friend, Mrs. Larkin, has a simple version of fried rice that I love. Gabriel is allergic to eggs, but I love it in fried rice. This recipe puts eggs in the end, so I can make it to satisfy us both. I usually have some dumplings in the freezer that I heat up as well. You can vary the ingredients to suit your needs. I add about 6 gloves of chopped up garlic. Why not?
I can purchase a spiral ham for approximately $20 that will be used to feed my family for quick, homemade and healthy meals the whole month long. It is low in fat and full of flavor. A little can really make a impact on a meal. I love having it on hand.
Let me know how you use your spiral ham. The possibilities are endless.
Pull up a chair, Elizabeth
