I should have posted this yesterday, but things have been a little crazy around here and time has simply run away on me!
Anyhow, if, like us, you have leftover ham from Christmas in your fridge, chances are you could be getting a little sick of ham sandwiches and ham and salad. Here’s a quick list of uses for leftover Christmas Ham to get your creative juices flowing!
- Ham and Pea Risotto – I’ve used Jamie Oliver’s basic risotto recipe for years. It never fails and I love it because you can add any ingredients to it (cooked meat, vegetables, feta, sundried tomatoes, the list goes on) and you have a relatively quick gourmet meal that’ll feed the masses. Another bonus: Risotto only involves using two pots (one for the risotto and one for stock) – so it gets brownie points from me for minimal cleanup. Here’s Jamie’s recipe here.
- Ham Lasagne – I saw Aussie chef Bill Grainger make this on his TV show and thought it was a stroke of genius. I gave it a crack last year with our leftover ham: Yum! Here’s the recipe.
- Ham and Pineapple Pizza – This one is always a winner with little and big kids. Use pita breads as pizza bases to bash out a fast meal. Better still, delegate dinner making to the kids, our seven year old makes a great pizza and he enjoys his time in the kitchen (I just do the pre-chopping for him).
- Quesadillas – All you need are two flour tortillas, grated cheese, ham, slices of tomato and olive oil. Grate some cheese and chop up some ham. Place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil (this binds the filling together). In a frying pan that is turned OFF, lay one tortilla in the pan. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the tortilla, making sure the mixture is evenly spread. Lay the tomato on top and season well. Place the second tortilla on top and press down lightly. Turn the heat on low and cook until the cheese is melted so the tortillas get ‘glued’ together. When it’s golden brown, flip the tortilla over and cook the other side untill golden brown.
- Corn and Ham Fritters – Corn Fritters are a Kiwi institution here in NZ. Deservedly so: They are amazing. Unfortunately though, as a Kiwi girl born to two British parents, I never had these until I moved out home: I missed out on Corn Fritters my entire childhood! Nevermind, I’ve definitely made up for lost time… This recipe from NZ’s Woman’s Weekly is a stunner – I love it with my Tomato Chilli Jam (which was a real hit as Foodie Christmas presents by the way!)
- Spaghetti Carbonara – Make a delicious carbonara, replacing the bacon with ham. I like this recipe from the Healthy Food Guide, it’s got a fraction of the calories of traditional recipes, without sacrificing any flavour!
- Ham Pasta Salad – The Healthy Food Guide is clearly one of my favourite magazines, here’s a pasta salad recipe we love. This is a perfect addition to your summer BBQ.
- Ham Fried Rice – Here’s my speedy fried rice recipe – just replace the prawns with ham!
- Pea and Ham Soup – For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, I know you probably don’t want to hear about BBQs at this time of year (sorry, I’m not trying to rub it in!). Rest assured this recipe from Taste magazine kicks butt. Here’s a couple of tips: Don’t use a food processor to blend the soup – use a handheld stick mixer, so much easier! Also, right after you’ve blended it, add half a cup of low fat evaporated milk for a creamy hit (or you can use cream, I just prefer evaporated milk as it’s kinder on my waistline).
- Filo Parcels: This recipe from NZ Woman’s Weekly is a good base recipe if you are new to working with filo – I like to load up my filo parcels with veges though (diced zucchini pan fried in olive oil is a perfect addition to filo parcels with ham and, bonus, if you are in NZ/Aussie as they are in season right now!) Filo parcels are fun to make – I rarely follow a recipe, I just let my creative juices flow!
So, there’s a quick round-up of 10 ways with leftover Christmas ham.
UPDATED! Whip up some Hollandaise sauce and dunk in slivers of ham and meat (Kiwi fondue style!) I’d love to hear what your favourite way is to use up your leftover ham, so drop me a line in the comments below.
Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
