Easter Ham Leftovers

It's too good to waste!
Meat Market

 

 

Easter Ham Leftovers

It's funny how family traditions and childhood memories go. Whatever you remember seems best. It's familiar and comfortable, so you naturally turn to these traditions every year. What do you do with leftover Easter ham? It's such a great, ready-to-use meat product that it's a shame to let it go to waste.

 

Ham is so versatile, too, that it can be used in a number of ways:

            • Omelets, scrambles, quiches and frittatas
            • Sliced in sandwiches: grilled, with or without cheese
            • With pasta and mayo for a salad
            • In fried rice
            • In bean soup—pintos, navy beans, kidneys or any other kind

And speaking of beans, have you ever tried ham and lentil soup? One of the advantages of lentils is that they cook so much faster than most dried beans. Give this recipe a try. Maybe it'll join your list of family favorites that you associate with leftover Easter ham!

 

Ham and Lentil Soup

Serves 6

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 to 3 cups cut-up leftover ham pieces
  • 2-1/2 cups or 1 (16-ounce) package dried lentils
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup grated carrots
  • 4 Tbsp butter or margarine
  • 1 tsp dried thyme, crushed
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

 

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, combine ham or bacon pieces, lentils, and chicken broth; bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until lentils are soft.

Remove 2 cups of cooked lentils and place into food processor or blender bowl; let cool 5 minutes (if you do not let cool slightly before processing, mixture will explode out of container and make a mess in your kitchen). After cooling, whirl until pureed. Stir pureed lentils into soup mixture.

In a medium skillet, sauté onion and carrots in butter or margarine until limp, but do not brown; add to lentils. Add thyme, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Simmer another 30 minutes. Remove from heat and serve in soup bowls.

Source: What's Cooking America by Linda Stradley and Andra Cook (Falcon Pub). Reprinted with permission.

 

Published 03/07/08

 
 
Circular