How to Use Cooked Ham in the Kitchen?
Cooked ham has a thousand uses in cooking and its taste goes very well with different ingredients, so you can combine it with zero difficulties with the dishes you are preparing.
As seen in the previous paragraph, you can use it in the preparation of sauces and seasonings for pasta. Let’s see other ideas for using cooked ham in appetizers and main courses.
You can use this salami sliced, diced, or in strips; natural or sauté it in a pan to obtain a crunchier result.
If you chop it together with cream cheese you can get a tasty cooked ham mousse spread on small croutons. A delicious appetizer perfects to serve to friends for a summer dinner. To make this quick appetizer, use:
- 250 g of spreadable cheese,
- 100 g of cooked ham,
- 2 strands of chives and pepper.
Remove the fat from the ham and add it to the mixer together with the cheese and chopped chives. Add a grind of pepper and reduce to cream. If the dough is too thick you can add a drop of milk. Toast the bread and spread the mousse on the crispy croutons.
You can use cooked ham to dress the classic cooked pizza and mushrooms, for the filling of quiches, to fill an omelet or a flan. For example, take a look at the artichoke pie with ricotta and ham.
You can also add cooked ham to the typically stuffed focaccia with potatoes and mozzarella. Another idea that will conquer the little ones * at home and abroad are hamburgers with a filling of ham, cooked on a hot plate. The hamburger will be very tasty also because you choose the other toppings!
Cooked ham is one of the ingredients to be used in the recipe for potato gâteau, a tasty potato flan to bake in the oven.
This typical recipe of Italian cuisine has a very simple preparation, here’s what you need:
- 1 kg of potatoes,
- 2 eggs,
- 150 g of diced cooked ham,
- half a glass of milk,
- 50 g of Parmesan cheese,
- 80 g of butter,
- 100 g of stringy cheese,
- nutmeg,
- Salt to taste
- 4 tablespoons of breadcrumbs.
Boil the potatoes in their skins in lightly salted boiling water. Cook them for 15-20 minutes, you can check the cooking with a toothpick: if it enters easily up to the heart of the vegetable, it means that it is cooked.
Drain the potatoes and let them cool, in the meantime prepare the other ingredients: beat the eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt, cut the stringy cheese into cubes, and grate the parmesan. If necessary, add the milk to make the mixture softer.
Pass the potatoes in a potato masher and collect the pulp in a bowl with the help of a spoon. Add 60 g of flaked butter, egg, parmesan and cooked ham. Flavor with a nice grated nutmeg. Grease a baking dish with the remaining butter and arrange the potato mixture on it.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on the surface and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.
Finally, you can use cooked ham to enrich the flavor of soups, vegetable creams, soups or broths.
Are you looking for a first course without pasta? Try the asparagus soup with cooked ham.
For this vegetable cream use:
- 300 g of asparagus,
- 100 g of diced cooked ham,
- 2 medium potatoes,
- half a white onion,
- 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil,
- Salt and pepper.
Chop the onion and sauté it in a pan with the olive oil. Wash the asparagus, cut them into rings, then peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Add all the vegetables to the pot and cook for a couple of minutes. To give character to your vegetables you can blend them with a little wine.
Add hot water to completely cover the vegetables, season with salt, and cook for 15 20 minutes. Let it cool, and then blend everything with an immersion blender.
Before serving, brown the cooked ham in a pan for 1-2 minutes. Serve the portions of asparagus cream with the browned cooked ham, a drizzle of raw oil and ground black pepper.
