Tag: ham

Holiday Recipes

The holiday season involves a number of luxuries, from nice gifts, to comfortable traditions, and, perhaps most importantly, food. It seems that, come Christmas, people go to great lengths to find new and appealing recipes with which to impress friends and families. To some, this can be as simple as looking into Christmas hampers from Marks & Spencer^[1], which often offer a number of specialty food and drinks; however, for others, it can mean learning how to cook and prepare exciting new dishes that go well with the holidays and can be enjoyed by a number of different people. For the latter type, there are a number of websites online that specialize in sharing holiday recipes.

One example of one of these helpful websites is epicurious.com, which has an interesting and broad selection of recipes specifically designed to go well with the holidays. For example, their porchetta dish offers an interesting alternative to the somewhat more traditional Christmas meat dishes of turkey or roast beef. The dish is pork based, and is prepared to offer a seasoned, almost crispy skin-on outer layer, with juicier meat at the center. This is a fantastic option as a centrepiece for any Christmas meal, or even for a different meal during the holiday season.

There are also a number of recipes listed on epicurious.com that are more geared toward desserts and holiday treats than main courses. For example, one of the most highly rated options on the website is a decadent-looking zeppole with chocolate sauce. Essentially, these are light, small powdered donuts that can be great to offer to a group of people. With a number of these in a bowl and a dish of chocolate sauce available, an entire group can enjoy a unique dessert together, which some find more appealing than indulging on different sorts of pies and cakes.

There are of course thousands of other recipes available online and indeed in cookbooks and kitchen advice publications all over the world. Due to the nature of the holiday season as a time of comfort and luxury, holiday recipes are an extremely popular topic in the world of culinary expertise. In fact, this is one of the most consistent portions of cooking, as the holidays come every year and many people – though they enjoy their traditions and like to stand by what’s good – never stop looking for the next great meal. All it takes is a little bit of research, and you can find this meal just about anywhere.

References

^{^} Marks & Spencer (www.marksandspencer.com)

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Chicken Cordon Bleu-wich – An Old Classic Gets Open Faced

If you love chicken cordon bleu because it’s “fancy,” and
you serve it primarily to impress dinner guests with your culinary skills, then
this video is really not for you. However, if you love chicken cordon bleu
because of its winning flavor combination of chicken, ham, and Gruyere cheese, then
stick around.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the classic preparation, and will
do my version one of these days, but for all that pounding, stuffing, rolling, pinning, breading, frying, and baking…I can
deliver the same basic flavor and texture profile with significantly less time
and effort.

By the way, while most consider this a French recipe, the
word on the street is that this actually originated in Switzerland. That
doesn’t really have any bearing on the recipe, but since I can’t remember ever
giving the Swiss a hard time here, I thought I’d take this opportunity to ask,
what’s up with those pocketknives? You really need one tool that can both kill
a squirrel and puck nose hairs? Seems a little much.

Anyway, it’s been a while since I posted a sandwich video,
and this, as the name would indicate, was certainly a blue ribbon winner. It
made for a perfect lunch, but throw a poached egg on top, and you’ve got a
stellar brunch item; or cut these up into quarters, and serve as finger food
for the next big game. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:
*Note: topping can be made days ahead and baked whenever.

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup diced smoked ham

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 tsp dried thyme

2 tbsp flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp milk

3 oz shredded gruyere cheese, divided (save a little for the
top)

1 rounded tsp Dijon mustard

pinch of nutmeg

1 cup diced cooked chicken

1/4 cup diced dill pickle

1/2 cup diced ham

cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp bread crumbs mixed with 1 tsp melted butter for the
top

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Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham

When I want a hearty bowl of split pea soup in a hurry, my pressure cooker is my best friend! Split pea soup is loaded with fiber, and it’s a comforting meal on a chilly night. I usually serve this with a slice of crusty bread, toasted and rubbed with a little garlic.

This soup is also my favorite way to use up leftover ham or a ham bone. It’s super easy, but not always super quick… unless you use a pressure cooker!

Using a pressure cooker cuts the cooking time by less than half and everything always tastes better for some reason. I’ve been using my pressure cooker for years; in South America it is widely popular to make soups, beans, and stews because it’s quick and saves on gas. I own a fancy electric one, but for some reason I still rather use my old stove top Presto.

When making soups and stews in the pressure cooker, very little liquid evaporates, so I usually cut the liquid down a bit. I found a great Pressure Cooker Cheat Sheet^[1] on Pressure Cooker For Dummies, if you own one and are scared of it, you might find this interesting.

I used Better than Bouillon, I love the flavor it adds to soups, but you can use chicken broth in it’s place if you prefer.

A few notes: Today is my 3rd day doing the Holiday Runner’s Streak (run at least 1 mile everyday until the Holidays, see 2012 Holiday Running Streak from Runner’s World^[2]). It was really hard to get out of bed this morning, but I am happy I got it out of the way. How are you doing, still with me?

Also, now until Dec 2nd, Heather K Jones, RD created a One Month Skinnytaste meal plan (so many of you asked for this!) and is offering a fabulous health tool that will help you tap into the power of your own personality and arm you with the insight you need for ultimate weight loss success. Check out the Diet Type offer on Skinny Bits^[3] this week! The offer includes a jump start meal plan featuring Skinnytaste recipes, and a FREE copy the awesome healthy grocery shopping guide, The Grocery Cart Makeover.

By the way, this soup freezes well, leftovers are perfect for lunch or make a batch for once a month cooking.

Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 1/4 cups • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 7
Calories: 254 • Fat: 2 g • Carb: 51.5 g • Fiber: 20 g • Protein: 24 g • Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 694.5 mg (to reduce the sodium use less bouillon)

Ingredients:

1 lb dry green split peas
1 tsp olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
7 oz reduced sodium ham steak, diced (Boar’s Head)
6 cups water
1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon or 1 cube*
1 bay leaf

Directions:

Rinse peas under cold water.

In a pressure cooker, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and garlic and saute 4-5 minutes. Add ham, peas, water, chicken bouillon and bay leaf and bring to a boil. When the liquid boils, cover and lock the lid and continue cooking until the pot reaches pressure, then reduce heat to low and set a timer for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes, shut the stove off and let the pressure cooker release the steam on it’s own. When the lid unlocks, adjust liquid if needed, taste for salt and pepper and remove bay leaf. If the soup looks like it should cook a little longer, you can let it simmer covered (unlocked) until it has reached your desired thickness.

To make without a pressure cooker, add 2 more cups water and simmer covered on low for 2 hours.
*Check labels for Gluten Free

References

^{^} Pressure Cooker Cheat Sheet (www.dummies.com)
^{^} 2012 Holiday Running Streak from Runner’s World (www.runnersworld.com)
^{^} Diet Type offer on Skinny Bits (www.skinny-bits.com)