You can’t beat an Easter ham:
You can’t beat an Easter ham from the
Broadway Market in Buffalo. The only other one that comes close is a Virginia baked ham. You may wonder what to do with a ham, other than baking it and making ham sandwiches. Actually, numerous dishes use ham in one way or another. I will include a few throughout this book. One soup you can make with ham or a leftover ham bone is yellow split pea. It’s easy and delicious.
Yellow split pea soup serves 8 :
2 cups yellow split peas ½ cup chopped rutabaga
1 smoked ham hock 2 quarts of water
1 carrot, finely chopped fresh ground pepper
1 small onion, chopped 2 slices of ham, chopped
Place the split peas into a large pot with the ham hock (or ham bone,) carrot, onion, rutabaga, and water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours. Remove the ham hock and let it cool. If there is any meat on it, cut it up and add to the soup. Add the ground pepper and ham and simmer for another ½ hour. Serve. The next recipe calls for soy sauce and mayo. You can use any brand you like, but my preference is Kikkoman Lite soy sauce and Hellmann’s mayonnaise. Kikkoman seems to have a more distinctive flavor. It costs a little bit more than the others, but I think it’s worth it. As far as mayonnaise goes, Hellmann’s makes a Light and a cholesterol-free variety in addition to the regular.
Tuna macaroni salad serves 8
1 lb elbow macaroni fresh ground pepper
6 oz can tuna in water 2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cucumber, chopped ½ cup mayonnaise
1 small onion, chopped
Cook macaroni according to the package
directions. Drain and cool. Drain the tuna. Place the macaroni into a large bowl; add tuna and the remaining ingredients. Mix and, if necessary, add more mayo. Refrigerate. Serve with basil tomatoes.
basil tomatoes serves 4
4 large tomatoes, sliced 2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried basil
Place the tomatoes in a glass dish. Sprinkle with basil and olive oil. Toss gently and marinate for two hours in a cool place. Do not put in the refrigerator, as the tomatoes will lose their flavor. Serve. When I first began to cook, I used powdered ginger. Now I always use gingerroot, which I grate myself. If you use the root instead of the powder, you will need a hand grater. The one I use I’ve had for years and it has served me well. I also suggest keeping gingerroot in the freezer. It lasts longer and more important, it’s easier to grate when frozen.
Chinese cauliflower serves 6 :
1 head cauliflower ¼ cup orange juice
1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp soy sauce
1 green pepper, thinly sliced ½ cup water
1 tbsp grated gingerroot 1 tbsp cornstarch
Trim the cauliflower and place into a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from the stove and drain. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add green pepper and ginger and sauté for 3 minutes. Add orange juice and soy sauce and cook for 1 more minute. In a small bowl, mix the water and cornstarch, dissolving the cornstarch. Add to the green pepper mixture, stirring. Raise the heat and cook until sauce thickens. Place the cauliflower on a serving plate, pour the sauce over it and serve.
