Whole leftover ham and no one to share it.

[JMF]

I have a whole ham leftover from a party this weekend and now I am the only one to use the 8+ pounds of leftovers. I will be making pea soup which will use a pound or two.

Any other suggestions?

[swsidejim]

ham & scalloped potatoes. I used my leftover ham for this on Sunday night..

[KRS]

My mother made a wonderful ham spread -- ham put through a meat grinder, mixed with mayo, a whole large bottle of fresh horseradish and plenty of coarsely ground black pepper. I still salivate when I think of it.

[nissenpa]

ANother variation uses pickle relish. Made this for my DH this summer and he LOVED it.

I think I used ham, mayo (or MW), pickle relish, salt, and pepper.

[MakingSense]

Ham really does change texture once it's been frozen so you won't be able to defrost it and have nice sliced ham for sandwiches, etc. It gets watery and spongy as OpinionatedChef says.
But it is just fine to defrost for beans, soups and other cooked dishes. Some of it will fry up OK.
I freeze ham in 1/4 to 1/2 pound chunks, which I wrap well in plastic and then put into zip locks. I will sometimes buy a large ham on a great sale, bake it, cut the leftovers into small pieces for freezing.

[Will Owen]

I've never had that problem with freezing ham. Are you sure you're squeezing ALL the air out of the bag?

I'm about to get myself a seal-a-meal device, which will settle that issue once and for all...Target has the basic un-fancy model for just $30.

[wally]

Second that never having a problem with freezing ham.

[opinionatedchef]

the prob w freezing it NOT in a sauce or gravy, etc, is that it gets spongy/watery when defrosted.

[JMF]

So far I am making a 16 bean soup with ham and assorted veggies like onions, carrots, celery, rutabaga, and fennel.

I took the bone and am simmering it with lots of veggie ends and peels to make a concentrate.

I have two huge chunks that each weigh around 2 1/2 pounds in the fridge to play around with.

[Will Owen]

Ha! I remember that some famous wag defined "Eternity" as "Two people and a ham." I guess ONE person and a ham would be more like "Infinity"!

It really does freeze OK if you wrap it properly. I would freeze it in chunks that when thawed could be consumed in a week or less, since regular commercial "city" hams don't last as well as the oldfashioned country ones. I like having some around so that when I get a sudden yearning for a nice plain ham sandwich I can have one within the hour...that's a kind of luxury, to me.

[Petitpois]

Ha ha! I was going to mention that quote - but I like your definition of infinity much better.

[bryan]

That was Dorothy Parker. But love your definition of infinity.

[Procrastibaker]

I think I read about a ham spread on C-hound that sounded awesome. Bourbon, butter, ham all pureed. I bet a search would turn it up...

[opinionatedchef]

cassoulet type thing w/ white beans, substituting your ham for the pork shoulder
jambalaya as suggested above

if you run out of ideas(and it DOES take a lot of time to make big food batches to use up these leftovers!), just freeze the ham in chunks, submerged in some kind of liquid or sauce- even a stock- just so it's submerged in sauce, which will keep it from drying out; then you can defrost it at a later date, cube it and put it in other recipes that you have time to make.

i would just go to the various recipe sites- epicurious, and
http://www.recipesource.com/soups/ste... and 'search' for 'pork and beans' or pork or ham under stews , to come up w more ideas and recipes.that's what i did w my 4 lb of leftover smoked cooked pork shoulder.

you could also make ham spreads- pureed - to freeze and use for sandwiches later.

[Hungry Celeste]

The freezer is your friend. Cut it into large pieces and freeze. While they won't have the greatest texture as sliced ham, the chunks are great as seasoning meat in beans, stews, long-cooked veggies, etc. Ham salad is good, too. But I usually bring this sort of surplus food to work...it all disappears very quickly!

[monkeyrotica]

Is the bone still in it? If so, strip the meat and throw in a pot for some red beans and rice. Could also toss in a pound of cubed meat as well.

Ham is always good in jambalaya and gumbo.

Cube it, add boiled potatoes, onions, and an egg and make potato ham croquettes.

Any number of soups are great with ham: navy bean soup, minestrone. Throw some white soisson beans in a casserole with ham, white bratwursts, onions, green peppers, celery, stock, and poultry (duck or chicken work) and bake with breadcrumbs on top for an excellent cassoulet.

[nissenpa]

Ham Loaves--these are awesome and can be easily frozen.

I will post the recipe when my DD wakes up and I can get to it.

It has a tangy sweet sauce that you pour over.

The loaves themselves are made with ground beef and ham, graham cracker crumbs, milk, and maybe an egg.