Christmas leftovers make nice meals in the new year. With ham, freeze the leftovers in labelled packages — thinly sliced, thickly sliced, small chunks, large chunks and finally, the meaty ham bone. Then you can pull out the cut that best suits your intended use.
Croque Monsieur
Croque Monsieur is simply a glorified grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a bechamel sauce smothered over it and then broiled. To make it heartier, add a poached or fried egg on top. This is now called a Croque Madame.
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter 45 mL
- 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour 45 mL
- 1 1/2 c. whole milk 375 mL
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg 2 mL
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 slices white bread
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter room temperature 125 mL
- 8 slices ham
- 1 c. shredded Gruyère cheese 250 mL
To make the béchamel, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter until foamy. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is foamy, about three minutes. Gradually add the milk, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick, about three minutes or until it boils. Stir in the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
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To make the Croque Monsieur, butter eight slices of bread. With the buttered side down, equally divide the cheese and two slices of ham on each of four of the slices. Top with remaining slices of bread, buttered side up. Fry in a skillet over low heat until golden brown on each side, about five minutes.
Place fried sandwiches on a baking sheet and spread the béchamel evenly over the top of each and broil until bubbling and golden brown, five to 10 minutes. Serve right away. This is a fork and knife sandwich rather than a handheld sandwich.
Baked ham penne pasta
- 8 oz. penne pasta 250 g
- 2 tbsp. butter 30 mL
- 1/2 c. finely chopped onion 125 mL
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp./2.5 mL dried rosemary 5 mL
- 2 tbsp. all purpose flour 30 mL
- 2 c. milk 500 mL
- 1 tsp. kosher salt 5 mL
- 1/2 tsp. ground pepper 2 mL
- 2 c. shredded Swiss cheese or gruyere, divided 500 mL
- 1/2 c. sour cream 125 mL
- 2 c. diced ham 500 mL
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
Cook penne until almost done, about six minutes, in salted, boiling water. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, add butter to a large oven-proof fry pan. When melted, add chopped onion and garlic. Cook two to three minutes, until onions are softened and start to caramelize. Add flour and stir together, cooking for two minutes.
Slowly add milk while stirring and cook, until thickened, about three minutes. Remove from heat and add rosemary, one cup (250 mL) of cheese and the sour cream. Stir until smooth.
Add pasta and ham, saving a bit of ham for the top. Stir until combined. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and ham.
Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes. Serves four.
Ham and spinach phyllo pie
- 4 tbsp. butter, divided 60 mL
- 1/2 c. onions, peeled and chopped 125 mL
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary 2 mL
- 1 lightly beaten egg
- phyllo pastry
- 1/2 lb. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted 300 g
- salt
- ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg 2 mL
- 1 c. cheese, any kind 250 mL
- 2 c. sliced cooked ham 500 mL
Heat half of the butter in a large frying pan and cook the onions and garlic over a gentle heat with the rosemary for 10 to 12 minutes or until very soft. Cool completely.
Squeeze the liquid from the spinach. Roughly chop, season with salt, pepper and ground nutmeg. Add this along with lightly beaten egg to the onion and garlic mixture.
Melt the remaining butter and lightly grease a nine inch (23 cm) springform pan. Line with sheets of phyllo pastry, brushing with butter between every second sheet and overlapping them in a random manner. There should be no gaps in the pastry and the excess pastry should hang over the sides of the tin. Use four to six sheets of phyllo pastry.
Spoon in the spinach mixture, then the crumbled cheese and finally the ham on top. Wrap the pastry over to enclose the filling. Brush with butter.
Place the pie on a baking sheet and cook at 375 F (190 C) for about 45 minutes, cover lightly with foil, if necessary, to prevent over-browning. Cool for 10 minutes before turning out and serving. Serves four.
Ham bone and split pea soup
Be sure the split peas are fresh. Old peas that have been languishing in the pantry for years will not soften with cooking.
- 1 tsp. butter 5 mL
- 1 tsp. canola oil 5 mL
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 1/2 large carrot, shredded
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- salt, to taste
- 3 c. split yellow peas, rinsed 750 mL
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 ham bone
- 5 c. chicken stock 1.25 L
- 2 c. water, or as needed 500 mL
- 1 c. diced ham 250 mL
- ground black pepper, to taste
Melt butter and oil in a stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add celery, carrot, onion and salt. Cook and stir until tender, about five minutes. Stir in dried peas and garlic.
Nestle ham bone into the pot. Add stock and diced ham. Add enough water so that liquid is about three inches (7.5 cm) over the ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer, stirring every 30 minutes and scraping the bottom of the pot, until peas are mostly disintegrated, about two and a half hours. Add more water as needed. Remove ham bone from the pot and place on a cutting board until cool enough to handle. Remove any meat from the bone and cut into bite-sized pieces and add back to the soup. Season soup with salt and pepper, to taste.
Sarah Galvin is a home economist, teacher and avid supporter of local food producers. She has been a market vendor, grew up on a farm in southeastern Saskatchewan and is a member of TEAM Resources.
