Unlike our friend the turkey I always found leftovers with ham limited to pea soup or a ham and mustard sandwich. I found some recipes online that can change that, try them out after all variety is the spice of life
HAM AND PEAS PASTA WITH GARLIC PARMESAN CREAM SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces Spaghetti
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth, or more, as needed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups chopped Ham
1 cup Frozen Sweet Peas
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
To make the garlic parmesan cream sauce, melt butter in the skillet skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
Gradually whisk in chicken broth, thyme and basil. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in half and half and Parmesan until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more half and half as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Stir in spaghetti, ham and peas, and gently toss to combine.
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
NOTES:
*Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream
Greens, Eggs, and Ham, Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
Butter
1 egg
2 slices rye bread
Enough sliced ham to form a 1/4-inch layer to cover a slice of rye bread
Small handful of baby spinach (or sliced young chard)
A few slices of gruyere cheese (swiis is also ok)
Directions
Fry the egg:
Heat a couple teaspoons of butter in a small stick-free pan on medium heat. When the pan is hot and the butter foamy, crack the egg into the pan.Cook the egg until the whites are cooked and it is still somewhat runny in the yolk (or not runny at all if that’s what you prefer), and remove the egg from the pan to a plate and set aside.
Fry one side of buttered slice of bread:
Heat a cast iron pan or griddle on medium high heat. Spread some butter on one side of one slice of rye bread. Place the slice butter side down on the pan.
Add layers of ham, spinach, egg, cheese:
Add a layer of ham to the bread. Add a layer of spinach to the ham. Place the egg on the spinach. Top with a layer of cheese and finally the second slice of rye bread.
Butter top slice of bread and flip over:
Spread some butter over the top of the top slice of bread. When the bottom slice is nicely toasted, use a metal spatula to carefully flip the sandwich over to the other side. You may need to use your hands to help the flip happen without everything spilling out. If the ingredients do spill out a bit, just gently edge them back in.
Cook until bread is toasty and cheese is melty:
Press down with a spatula to help get the heat to the cheese. Cook until toasted on this second side. Remove from pan, cut in half, and eat!
HAM COBB SALAD
INGREDIENTS:
5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup diced ham
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
2 hard-boiled eggs, diced
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
FOR THE GREEK YOGURT RANCH
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
To make the Greek yogurt ranch, whisk together Greek yogurt, buttermilk, dill, garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl; top with arranged rows of ham, tomatoes, avocado, eggs and goat cheese.
Serve immediately with Greek yogurt ranch.
German Farmer’s Breakfast
Ingredients
3 large potatoes, skinned and quartered lengthwise
3 tablespoons bacon fat or extra virgin olive oil
2 cups roughly chopped green and white onions (include the greens from the green onions)
2 cups roughly chopped bell peppers
Salt to taste
1-2 cups chopped ham
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 eggs, whisked
Method
Boil the potatoes:in a saucepan of lightly salted water for 10-15 minutes until just cooked (test for doneness). Drain, rinse with cold water to cool. Cut into 1-inch squares. Set aside.
Brown the onions and bell peppers:
Heat 2 Tbsp bacon fat (or olive oil) in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and chopped bell peppers. Increase the heat to high. Brown the onions and bell peppers, stirring frequently, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the potatoes and then the ham:
Push the vegetables to the side of the pan, add the potatoes and another Tbsp of bacon fat (or olive oil) to the pan.Brown the potatoes for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle on salt to taste as you cook.Add the ham to the potatoes and cook, stirring frequently until the ham is heated through, 1-2 minutes.
Add parsley, eggs:
Mix all of the vegetables, potato and ham together and mix in the parsley. Add the eggs, stirring to distribute the eggs among the vegetables and ham.As soon as eggs begin to firm up, remove from heat.
Serve immediately. Great with ketchup on top.