Easter ham

Published 8:56 am Monday, April 1, 2013

Looking to put a different twist of flavor on your Easter ham this year ? Grilling could be the answer. A spiced grilled ham with citrus glaze surrounded with a variety of savory sides, can turn an Easter feast into a memorable occasion.

Heat up the grill and cook a ham that will be power-packed with flavor while the children are out and about hunting Easter eggs.

When Farrell Louviere of Jeanerette fires up the grill, it’s anyone’s guess as to what will be on the table. A yearlong griller, Louviere rarely shies away from cooking large cuts of meat on the grill.

“A pre-cooked ham is always easier to grill than one that needs to be fully cooked. Slowly grilling a ham over indirect heat can enhance the flavor of a pre-cooked spiral honey-glazed ham,” he said.

Grilling offers less mess and frees up the oven for other side dishes, he said.

Ham is a traditional part of the Easter feast With Francine Garzotto’s family. While ham can be prepared in a variety of ways, Garzotto said it is a meat that is complimentary to many side dishes.

Garzotto, a regular contributor of the Cajun Sugar Co-op / The Daily Iberian Cajun / Creole Cookbook, often turns to her slow cooker for holiday meals.

“I like to cook a ham in a slow cooker. It is easy and flavorful. I use a mixture of honey, mustard and brown sugar to glaze the ham, then top with pineapple rings,” said Garzotto.

But just as much as the ham is enjoyed for the Easter meal, so is the family’s day-after meal featuring white beans cooked in the slow cooker with the leftover ham and ham bone as the star ingredients.

“The sweetness retained from the glaze gives the beans just enough of a sweet flavor,” she said. “The leftover ham and ham bone from a ham cooked on the grill would also be good. The beans will take on that smoky flavor once they’ve been slow cooked with the bone,” she said.

Garzotto said leftover ham is never wasted in her household.

“I use it for seasoning in so many different recipes. My grandmother always used leftover ham for seasoning and I’ve continued to do the same. I like to add it to fresh green beans and cornbread for additional flavor,” she said. “If you don’t’ have any leftover ham, it’s worth purchasing a few ham steaks to cube and keep in the refrigerator or freezer for seasoning,’ she said.

Donna Kibbe, also a contributor to the Cajun / Creole Cookbook, puts any leftover ham to good use. Kibbe had captured a first place award n the 2009 competition with her Jalapeño White Bean Soup flavored with ham.

“Ham gives that extra flavor to the soup,” she said.

“Don’t forget about breakfast when you have leftover ham. An egg omelet and piece of fried ham is always a welcome dish at the breakfast table. Whenever we have ham for a meal, the day after, my husband, Charlie, is asking for his Big Southern Country Breakfast,” she said.

So when Easter celebrations are complete, go beyond the classic ham and cheese sandwich and try peas with mint and tarragon, smothered potatoes with ham, a ham grilled panini, ham quesadilla or quiche.