Many families celebrate Easter with favorite family foods. Two of the staple foods that my family and I include as part of our Easter celebrations year after year are colorful Easter eggs and baked ham. But, of course we always have some left over. Here are two ways that I love to use ham and eggs after the holiday. First is a classic ham and bean soup that features fresh herbs and wilted greens.
Ham & Bean Soup Makes: 3 quarts Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 1 hour, 15 min Ingredients 2 pounds cooked ham, cubed 4 cups water 1 (16-oz) can white cannellini beans 1 (16-ounce) can light red kidney beans 2 (16 oz) cans diced tomatoes 2 medium yellow onions, chopped 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 medium carrot, finely chopped ½ tsp. salt (or to taste) ½ tsp. dried thyme (or 1½ tsp. fresh) ½ tsp. garlic powder ½ tsp. ground black pepper 1 bay leaf 5 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves or chopped broccolini
Another deliciously simple way that we use leftover ham and hard boiled eggs is to make an egg & ham salad sandwiches.
To get started, you first need to know how to make hard boiled eggs. This might sound silly to some, but this cooking technique is one of the most searched for on the internet. The good thing is, it's quite easy to hard-boil perfectly once you know how. How to HARD BOIL EGGS 1. PLACE up to eggs in saucepan large enough to hold them in single layer. ADD cold water to cover eggs by 1 inch. 2. HEAT over HIGH heat just to boiling and then REMOVE from burner *
3. COVER pan and LET EGGS STAND in hot water about 12 MINUTES for large eggs (9 MINUTES for medium eggs; 15 MINUTES for extra-large eggs) 4. DRAIN immediately and serve warm. Or, COOL completely in a bowl of ice water, then REFRIGERATE
* Unlike their name says, you really don't want to "boil" the eggs. Extended boiling leads to rubbery egg white texture, cracking of the egg shells and a grey naturally iron-based ring that forms around the outside of the yellow yolk (safe to eat, but unsightly). All of these undesirable outcomes can be prevented with proper cooking.
If using an egg coloring kit to dye eggs, allow colored eggs to dry and then refrigerate immediately. Eggs stored at proper temperature (40 degrees F) can be safely eaten for up to one week.
To make the Egg & Ham Salad Sandwich recipe, I like to use my kitchen aid mixer and its grinding attachment to grind both the ham and eggs into a medium bowl. If you don't have a meat grinder, you can still make this recipe by finely dicing the ham with a chef's knife and using the back side of a fork to mash the eggs. Egg & Ham Salad Sandwiches Serves: 4
Ingredients 4 hard boiled eggs, mashed or ground
8 ounces cooked ham, finely diced or ground 1 Tbsp. sweet pepper relish 1-2 Tbsp. mayonnaise 1 tsp. stone ground mustard (optional)
8 slices seeded rye OR marble rye bread, fresh or toasted
Boston bibb, baby spinach, watercress or other leafy greens (to taste)
In a medium bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. MIX with a large spoon until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Using a spatula or butter knife, layer the mixture evenly over 4 slices of bread. TOP each with leafy greens and a slice of bread. SLICE diagonally and SERVE.