Category: Meats

Easy Ham Jambalaya

Next year New Orleans will celebrate its 200th birthday, an occurrence that deserves to be celebrated by every American who enjoys good music and food. Both owe much of their excellence to the unique history of New Orleans. Founded on May 7, 1718, by a Frenchman, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city rapidly became the busiest port city on the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico. French colonists arrived who were joined by Spanish immigrants after the city and territory of Louisiana were ceded to the Spanish government in 1763. And as every schoolchild learns, the young United States bought New Orleans as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

The French and Spanish colonists brought African slaves, many from the Caribbean, and soon everyone was mixing together with native Americans. There was also a considerable addition of northern Europeans who headed south from places as far away as the Maritime Provinces and New England states to find fortune and warm weather. Not all found their fortunes, but there was enough warm weather for everyone, so they stayed and prospered.

New Orleans became a cultural salmagundi as people shared their languages, customs, religions, music and food. The ingredients were mixed together and stirred until something new was created that most everyone liked. In school we learned that the United States was a melting pot. New Orleans music provides a good example.

Consider Louis Moreau Gottschalk, born in New Orleans in 1829 to a Jewish businessman from London and a Creole mother. By 1860 Gottschalk was the best known pianist in the New World and a respected composer. His compositions are still in the classical piano repertoire. Better known today is jazz which was born in New Orleans and blues that grew up in the city, and both musical genres owe their genesis to the rich cultural history of the people living along the Mississippi River.

But when I think of New Orleans, I think first of the many recipes created by the Creole chefs of New Orleans and the Cajun cooks of the surrounding area. Oysters Rockefeller, shrimp étoufée, red beans and rice, gumbo and jambalaya are good examples. My favorite jambalaya recipe uses more ingredients and takes twice as long to make as this simplified version, but if you are in a hurry or just plain lazy on a hot day, this recipe for ham jambalaya is a good substitute. With it, you can make enough in half an hour to satisfy four hungry people.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white rice
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T olive oil
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped onions
2 – 3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups cooked ham
2 cups (1 can) stewed tomatoes
2 cups (1 can) chicken broth
2 tsp. Cajun seasoning

PROCEDURE:

Start by cooking the rice. Put two cups of water, a cup of white rice and a half teaspoon of salt into a one quart saucepan. Stir the rice as it comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook it until the water is absorbed, about fifteen or twenty minutes.

While the rice is cooking, remove the stem and root ends from the the onion and chop it into a quarter-inch dice. Wash, remove the stem, seeds and white membrane from the pepper and chop it into a half-inch dice. Remove the paper from the garlic cloves and mince them. Put the onion, pepper and garlic into a skillet with the tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Stir occasionally and cook for about five minutes until the peppers begin to soften.

While the vegetables are cooking, chop the ham into a half-inch dice. Stir the tomatoes with their juice, the chicken broth, ham and Cajun seasoning into the vegetables. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for seven to eight minutes.

Stir in the rice, bring the jambalaya back to a simmer. Simmer for a minute or two if necessary to reduce the liquid. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Serve in bowls with bread and salad.

NOTES: This recipe makes a very mild jambalaya. You might want to put a bottle of hot sauce on the table for guests who appreciate more spice. Rather than buying a jar of Cajun seasoning, you can make your own in a just a couple of minutes. Here is a recipe.

5/8 tsp. oregano
5/8 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/4 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt

Grind everything together with a mortar and pestle or just stir the ingredients together, mashing them a little with a wooden spoon. This recipe makes enough for two or three batches of jambalaya.

If you are careful to buy gluten-free ingredients, you can satisfy guests with gluten intolerance.

Spam ’N’ Mac

“To die for” was how a young lady described a dish of “Lobster Mac” she had eaten the night before our conversation. It’s macaroni and cheese with lobster meat baked into the casserole. I really like lobster and enjoy good macaroni and cheese, so I am sure I would agree with her assessment of the dish, but I have never tried it.

For me the problem is the cost. A pound of lobster meat can easily cost $50 and a small side dish of Lobster Mac will set you back $15 to $20. I have found a delicious alternative for less than $5 a pound that I am sure will soon be appearing at “haute cuisine” restaurants from coast to coast. You may pay $15 for a little side dish of Spam ’N’ Mac at some of those restaurants, but you can create this gourmet dinner at home for what it costs to make hamburger hotdish.

On our way back from visiting relatives in Kansas, Jerri and I decided to revisit the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota, which was moved from its original quarters to a new location downtown. It was late on a Tuesday afternoon when we walked past the bronze sculpture of a farmer with two pigs that we had had our picture taken with many years ago.

Ours was a fun reunion with the history of a meat product that I remember fondly. I knew that Spam was a lunch meat combination of pork shoulder and ham invented by the Hormel Company in 1937. However, I had forgotten that one hundred and fifty million pounds of Spam were shipped to soldiers and civilians during World War II. I did know that thousands of cans of Hot and Spicy Spam were shipped to Guam every year, but I was not aware that Hormel now made Spam for other food cultures.

There is Jalapeño Spam for Texas, for instance, Portuguese Sausage Spam for Hawaii, Teriyaki Spam for Korea and Chorizo Spam for Mexico, as well as Garlic, Bacon, Black Pepper, Turkey and Hickory Smoke Spam for adventurous Americans along with the Classic Spam I grew up with. You can buy all these varieties at the museum in Austin or on the museum web site.

Mom kept a can of Spam on a shelf for emergencies and we do the same today. Every few weeks, Mom would fix Spam and Eggs, slices of meat fried until slightly crisp on the outside and served with fried eggs and toast for breakfast. We still enjoy a breakfast of Spam and Eggs at least a couple times a year.

Until I created Spam ’N’ Mac with Portuguese Spam, Spam and Eggs was my favorite way to enjoy this meat. But then I saw the cans of Portuguese Sausage Spam. I had no idea what it tasted like, but the man who greeted us informed me that it was a little spicy and the most popular variety of Spam in Hawaii.

I could not resist, and we enjoyed a delicious Spam ’N’ Mac supper a few days after we got home from our visit to the museum. I was told that Portuguese Sausage Spam is available only at Austin, Minnesota or Hawaii, but I am betting that a few drops of hot sauce will make Spam ’N’ Mac with classic Spam taste just as good. If not, I promise to let you know soon.

INGREDIENTS:

About 3 quarts water
Salt to taste
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
3 T butter
3 T all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. ground dry mustard
1/8 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
8 oz. Portuguese Sausage Spam
2-3 T breadcrumbs

PROCEDURE:

Heat about three quarts of water to boiling in a saucepan or Dutch oven. Add salt if you wish. I add about a half teaspoon of salt to the water for this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 375º while the water is heating, grease a three-quart casserole and start making the sauce.

Add the macaroni when the water comes to a boil and set a timer for eight minutes.

Heat the milk to steaming and shred the cheese.

Melt the butter over moderate heat in a two-quart saucepan and stir in the flour, salt, pepper, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook the roux for about three minutes. Chop the Spam into a quarter-inch dice.

Stir the hot milk into the roux until you have a smooth sauce. Cook the sauce for about two minutes until it thickens, then add the shredded cheese gradually while stirring until you have a smooth sauce.

Drain the cooked macaroni and return it to the pan. Mix the sauce with the macaroni and blend in the Spam.

Put the macaroni into the casserole, sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top and put the casserole into the oven. Bake for about twenty-five minutes until the casserole is bubbling and the bread crumbs have begun to brown.

This recipe makes four generous servings. Serve with a salad and a glass of wine.

NOTES: Use the Cheddar cheese you prefer. My first choice is sharp Cheddar, but medium or extra sharp are okay too. Spam comes in twelve ounce cans. You can reserve two or three slices for a sandwich or for a breakfast of Spam and eggs or just make a meatier Spam ’N Mac.