Ham: Again and Again and Again - Pink Saturday

Photo Courtesy of Renee Comet

"Eternity is two people and a ham."



Glazed Ham Loaf



Scalloped Ham and Potatoes with Cheese

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Bob and I don't eat a lot of ham. There is just too much meat for us to handle, so we reserve it for an occasional company meal. I made a ham last week that, in its first iteration, fed eight adults. It also made pea soup, ham salad, scalloped ham and potatoes and a lovely glazed ham loaf. You all know how to roast and glaze a ham. I'm pretty sure you have your own version of pea soup and ham salad, so I wanted to share two other recipes that you can use to finish up the last bits of the feast. The scalloped potatoes are based on a recipe from my childhood, but the ham loaf comes from a deli near the campus of Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. Years ago, we dropped in to try their version of Pittsburgh's infamous ham barbecue and were struck by the number of people who were picking up a ground meat mixture from the meat counter. Never shy when it comes to food, I asked what it was. The deli mix was actually an unformed ham loaf that folks took home to bake and glaze. Of course I had to try it and it turned out to be surprising nice. Now unless you are from Pittsburgh, this will not be on the list of foods you request for your final meal. I think you will, however, be pleasantly surprised by how good this loaf actually is. It and the scalloped potatoes are really easy to do and I thought you might like the recipes for them. Here's how they're made.

Glazed Ham Loaf...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Ham Loaf
1 pound ground baked ham
1 pound ground fresh pork
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Glaze
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar

Directions:
1) To make ham loaf: In a large mixing bowl, combine ground ham, ground pork, eggs, and milk in a large mixing bowl. Mix gently to incorporate ingredients. Add breadcrumbs, parsley and pepper and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Shape mixture into loaf form and put it on a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
2) To make glaze: Combine brown sugar, dry mustard, ground cloves, water, and vinegar in a medium saucepan. Slowly cook over low heat until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place ham loaf in oven and bake for two hours, basting with glaze every 15 minutes after first hour of cooking. Remove loaf from oven. Mix remaining glaze with pan juices and serve with ham loaf. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Scalloped Ham and Potatoes with Cheese...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 large)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1-1/4 cups milk
4 cups (about 1 pound) thinly sliced potatoes
12 ounces cubed or shredded ham
1 cup shredded cheese (I use Monterey Jack)

Directions:
1) To make sauce: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Add cheese and stir until melted. Set aside.
2) Place half of sliced potatoes in a greased 1-1/2 quart rectangular dish. Top with ham and half of sauce. Top with remaining half of potatoes and sauce.
3) Bake, covered, in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 50 minutes more or until potatoes are tender. Let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
How to Make Ham Stock and Recipe Ideas Using Ham Stock - Kalyn's Kitchen
Frugal Uses for Leftover Ham - Frugal Families
Ham Cheese and Paprika Muffins - Cook Sister
Doe Run Inn's Country Ham Balls - Courier Journal
Restaurant-Style Ham Fried Rice - Favorite Family Recipes
Ham and Split Pea Soup with Bacon - Food and Wine Blog

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Polpettone - Tuscan Stovetop Meatloaf

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There are times when my sense of the absurd overcomes common sense. Before I go any further, you need a little background. I've been working with a cookbook that was written for folks who know their way around the kitchen. There are no detailed instructions to take you from the larder to the table in 10 easy steps. There's a list of ingredients and a few charming, but terse instructions that can be summarized as "mix and bake." I've long waged a personal war with recipes that call for a chopped onion or 2 cloves of garlic. My brain is wired to handle balanced equations and specific instructions. What size onion are you talking about? If onions upset me, you can imagine how well I handle an instruction directing me to shape a meatloaf like a football. You'll be even more surprised to learn I tried. Fortunately, I realized it was impossible to fry anything shaped like an American football before reaching DEFCON 1. Undeterred, but taking terrible hazing from Bob, I decided they must have meant a soccer ball. I tried that, too, but my creation collapsed under it's own weight and became a discus. I fell back on my old standby, the salami-shaped cylinder, and fortunately that worked, allowing me to roll the loaf as it browned. I choose this recipe because it's geared to a smaller table and I was intrigued by the fact that it was cooked on top of the stove. It also made a ton of sauce that would be perfect for pasta. Despite the false starts, silliness and instructions lost in translation this is a lovely meatloaf that is perfect for smaller families. Here is the recipe for polpettone - Tuscan meatloaf.

Polpetonne - Tuscan Stovetop Meatloaf...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Judy Witts Francini

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
2 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped
1 large egg, beaten
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
2 slices crustless bread, soaked in milk, then squeezed to remove liquid
Flour for dredging
1/2 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely dice
1 stalk celery, scrubbed and finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Olive oil
Salt, pepper and nutmeg
1 (28-oz.) can plum tomatoes packed in juice

Diretions:
1) Mix beef with prosciutto, egg, cheese and bread, Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. I used a teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and a big pinch of nutmeg.Shape meatloaf like a football, roll in flour or breadcrumbs.
2) Saute onion, carrot and celery in olive oil. I used 2 tablespoons. After 10 minutes, add polpettone, turning to brown on all sides. Add tomatoes and up to a cup of their juice. Cover and let cook slowly, turning frequently to avoid sticking. I cooked mine for 30 minutes. Very carefully remove from pan to a cutting board. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Slice and serve with lemon wedges. Yield: 4 servings.

Cook's Note: The parsley specified in the ingredient list was never mentioned in the instructions. I added it to the tomato sauce. Next time I'll include it in the meat mixture.

Here are some other great meatloaf recipes from other blogs:
Moroccan Meatloaf from Simply Recipes
Kalyn's Best Meatloaf from Kalyn's Kitchen
Turkey Meatloaf with Fig Gravy from The Perfect Pantry