Time for... leftover ham!

[leanneabe]

We had an 8-pound ham for the two of us and, not surprisingly, we have a lot of leftover ham. Short of ham sandwiches and tossing diced ham with pasta, what am I supposed to do with it all? The ham bone will go into a pot of 7-bean soup, but I doubt that will make a dent in the actual meat pile.

I can't be the only one with leftover Easter ham. What are you doing with yours?

[waver]

I was going to try risotto with asparagus and peas, but I'm actually quick sick of ham and "those" flavours, so I'll try the fried rice idea (sounds really good) and then freeze the rest of the thing for another time....

[littlegreenpea]

Yummy eggs benedict. Or a frittata. Or maybe buckwheat crepes with some fresh asparagus.

[singleguychef]

Here's my recipe for fried rice using my leftover ham. I try to keep the steps really simple because after cooking Easter dinner, simple is best:

Ham Fried Rice

Ingredients:
3-5 cups leftover cooked rice *
6 oz. ham (or other meat), chopped into bits
2 to 3 eggs
9 oz. frozen peas and carrots
2 T soy sauce
1 T cooking wine or sherry
1 T sesame oil
2 stalks green onion aka spring onions, chopped (using mostly the white and pale green part)
2 T Canola oil
salt and pepper

Pre-cook your eggs in a non-stick skillet. Simply scramble them and set aside. (Make sure you season your eggs when cooking.) The number of eggs depend on how much rice you’re using.

In a small bowl, mix sesame oil, soy sauce and cooking wine. Set aside.

In a large wok or skillet, heat Canola oil over high heat and then add frozen peas and carrots. Cook for about a minute and then add ham and continue cooking for another minute. Then add rice, breaking it up if needed with your hands before tossing it in the wok. Drizzle some of your marinade and blend well, seasoning with salt and pepper (you only need maybe a teaspoon of salt since you’re already adding soy sauce). Add green onions and cooked eggs and mix well, breaking egg into smaller pieces if needed. Garnish with some more green onions.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Pair with jasmine tea or green tea.

* Caution: This is the measurement of rice already cooked. If you don’t have cooked rice already and plan to make some, then you might want to use only 2 cups uncooked rice.

TIP: Leftover rice is the key ingredient to good stir-fried rice. Having sat in your refrigerator, the cooked rice won’t be as sticky so it can mix nicely with the rest of the ingredients. Just be sure to break up the clumps before adding to the wok.

FROM FREEZER TO WOK: I find that the frozen peas and carrots can cook quickly in the high heat of the wok because they’re so small. But depending on how much ice comes with the peas and carrots, you may end up with a lot of moisture, which will make your rice soupy. So if you’re worried about moisture, bring your frozen peas and carrots out ahead of time to let the ice around them to thaw out. Or rinse them under cold water and let them sit in a colander to dry before adding to your wok.

http://singleguychef.blogspot.com

[leanneabe]

Wow! Tons of great ideas here that I honestly would never have thought of. I think I will freeze half of the ham for later. The calzones idea sounds great! And, since I have potatoes sitting in the pantry, I think I'll try one of those suggestions, too.

Thanks!

[jennykay]

My grandmother would make a dish with leftover ham, diced potatoes, sauteed onion and pepper and throw in some cheese. You can do this all on top of the stove. It was always very good and quick

[chicagodoc]

I assume this is city ham, with a slightly sweet glaze? It freezes well. I think it goes very well as the meat in a spicy Chinese stir fry. I think it's sweetness breaks the spice a bit. I make fried rice in the usual manner, but add some Szechuan spicy bean paste (tom yun kum) and use lots of leftover ham as the meat.

[Val]

How about ham BAKED with pasta rather than tossed with it? This is a pretty fancied up macaroni & cheese dish called Baked Rigatoni with Ham, Tomatoes & Feta from epicurious, rather rich but really delicious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/rec...

[weezycom]

Ham freezes well, so why not take about half and save it for a later use.

If you do want to keep on with it for now, how about Hawaiian calzones? (ham, pineapple, onion, ricotta, mozz)

[MzMaggie]

Ham & Cauliflower Au Gratin
Ham, cauliflower and cheese sauce with a great topping.
16 oz frozen cauliflower florets -- thawed
2 cups cooked ham -- cubed
1 can (11 0z) condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 box corn muffin mix
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 11 x 7 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Arrange cauliflower in baking dish. Sprinkle with ham. Mix soup, milk and nutmeg until smooth. Pour over ham.
Make muffin mix according to directions. Spoon over soup mixture.
Bake for about 35 minutes until bubbly and topping is golden brown.
Yield: 4 - 6 servings.

[marthadumptruck]

Today I made some ham & black eyed peas & mustard green soup.

[macca]

Easy ham salad- grind up the ham, some onions and some sweet pickles. A bit of mayo, and you have the makings of a good sandwich

[alex8alot]

ham biscuits, almost worth going out and getting a whole ham

I have made these before, very good
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/rec...

how about quiche?

[ajs228]

Try a big batch of split-pea soup with cubes of ham in it. You can freeze it and keep it forever.

[aurora50]

If you're going to do that, may I suggest also using the bone, if you've kept it, for extra flavor. Good suggestion!

[scoooter5]

I like what we refer to as "Ham Balls"--basically Ham Loaf made into baseball sized meatballs. Made with ground ham, pork and beef. Graham crackers for the filler. Sweet sauce over them made of tomato sauce, brown sugar and vinegar.

[swsidejim]

Ham and scalloped potatoes.

sliced ham
Thinly sliced peeled potatoes
2 cups of whole milk with salt and black pepper to taste. , simmer to reduce, stirring constantly

layer potatoes and ham in casserole dish, and then add the reduced milk to the ham and potatoes. I bake mine covered with aluminum foil in the convection oven for an hour @ 375-degrees, and cook uncoverd for the last 10-15 mins I put a glass pyrex dish under the casserole dish to catch any overflow when cooking.

I serve mine with garlic bread. One of my favorite comfort foods while growing up

[aurora50]

I like to make diced ham and scrambled eggs. Just mix and scramble the whole thing together. It's yummy - just be careful with the salt, because of the ham. (You might also want to add veggies - onions, peppers?)