Country Ham Spread Food

CHEESY COUNTRY HAM DIP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the ham slices on a microwave-safe dish lined with paper towels. Cover the ham with a damp paper towel and microwave on low heat until the ham is slightly crisp on the edges and the fat is absorbed in the paper towels, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove the ham from the microwave and discard the paper towels. Using two forks, shred the ham into small bite-size pieces. Place the ham into a large mixing bowl.
• Add the cream cheese, Cheddar, sour cream, garlic powder, shallot and 1 teaspoon black pepper to the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Spread the ham and cheese mixture into a 9-inch pie plate. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the pecans, butter and Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle the seasoned pecans over the ham and cheese dip.
• Bake the dip until hot and bubbly around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with butter crackers, corn tortilla and celery.

HAM SPREAD

Steps:

• Cut up ham to put into food processor, grind on pulse until very coarse. Add the onion and dill pickle relish close to the end of this stage. Put into mixing bowl and add mustard and creamy salad dressing; mix well.

COUNTRY HAM

Steps:

• Put ham in a very large container, such as a bucket, and cover with water. Let soak 3 days, changing water at least twice a day. Scrub with a stiff brush; rinse well.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put ham in a large, deep, heavy roasting pan; transfer to oven. Add enough boiling water to come half-way up sides of ham. Cover with foil. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 160 degrees, about 20 minutes per pound. Check occasionally to ensure cooking liquid is just simmering; adjust oven temperature as needed. Remove from oven; let cool in cooking liquid. Remove skin, leaving a small amount of fat on surface.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place ham on a baking sheet lined with foil. Score fat in a crosshatch pattern, if desired. Cook sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Spread over ham. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Bake 5 minutes. Remove from oven, and brush with glaze from pan. Bake until sugar has caramelized and is bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes more. Cut into very thin slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.

COUNTRY HAM SANDWICHES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and garlic powder. Spread over two slices of bread. Layer each with cheese, tomato, ham and lettuce. Top with remaining bread.

COUNTRY HAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
• Set ham into the prepared roasting pan and pierce several times with a fork.
• Stir brown sugar, peach preserves, and mustard together in a bowl; spread over the ham. Cover the ham with a sheet of aluminum foil.
• Roast ham in preheated oven, basting regularly, for 90 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil cover and continue baking until hot in the center, 30 to 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C).

HAM SALAD SPREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Combine mayonnaise and mustard; add to ham mixture and mix well. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with crackers.

COUNTRY HAM SPREAD

Steps:

• Place ham, cream cheese, pecans and mustard in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
• Or, stir all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
• Best if allowed to sit for a few hours for flavors to blend.

COUNTRY HAM AND HOMINY HASH

Steps:

• Place the ham in a pot with the bay leaf and peppercorns. Cover with water and simmer for about 1 hour, until the ham is fork-tender (see Know-how, page 172). Add the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes more, until the potatoes are just beginning to get tender. Strain the ham and potatoes from the pot, reserving about 1/4 cup of the liquid, removing and discarding the bay leaf, and set aside.
• Using two forks, shred the ham into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the potatoes, hominy, and onion. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. (Country ham is salty, so be sure to taste before adding any extra salt.)
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the ham-potato mixture and spread into a flat cake. Cover with a splatter screen or lid and cook until crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and re-form the cake. Cover and cook, adding a little more oil if needed, until crispy on the other side. Remove from the heat and cover.
• Fill a large skillet with water about 2 inches deep and bring to a boil. Add the vinegar and salt and reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Add the eggs one at a time and poach for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites set and a thin, translucent film forms over the yolks (see Know-how, page 86). Use a slotted spoon to gently transfer the eggs to a paper towel-lined platter to drain.
• Divide the hash evenly between individual serving plates, place 1 or 2 eggs on top of each, and serve hot.
• For a more rustic interpretation of this dish, make a hole in the hash, crack the eggs in the hole, and cover to fry, rather than poach, to your liking. For a sweet-and-savory combination, substitute sweet potatoes for the russets, and for a crispy finish, scatter fried oysters on top. Or, make a cheesy variation by layering the hash mixture with Gruyère cheese in a skillet to form one large cake and sauté until brown and crispy. Slide the cake out of the skillet and cut into 4 to 6 wedges, then assemble the dish as for the main recipe.
• Hominy is the name for corn kernels that have been hulled to remove the bran and germ. Lye hominy is hulled by soaking the corn kernels in a weak lye solution-a very traditional, centuries-old Native American method-and pearl hominy is hulled mechanically. It is then dried and either ground to make our beloved hominy grits or boiled whole to make what New Orleansians call "big hominy." You can buy hominy canned, meaning precooked, or dried, in which case it will need to be presoaked and boiled in the same manner as dried beans.

THE BEST HAM SPREAD

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, mix well, or for a creamier spread, use your food processor.
• Chill in refrigerator for 30 mimutes.