Busy Mommy Media » Pork Recipes

Skipping Jack

Courtney — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:03:35 +0000

I don’t have a picture of this take on hoppin’ john as it was gone too quickly. I’d say the recipe makes somewhere between two and four servings depending on the appetites of the people you’re feeding, but either way it will be gone quickly. Hoppin’ john is a combination of rice, black eyed peas and ham hock, but I’ve dubbed mine Skipping Jack as it’s similar in idea but different in ingredients enough to qualify for its own name.

This rice and beans dish is flavored with soy chorizo, though you could use real chorizo if you like. I just tend to lean more vegetarian and recently discovered this alternative and I’m quite happy with it–it’s spicy, crumbly and very highly flavored, lending itself well to uses as a flavoring agent or garnish rather than a centerpiece. I used Trader Joe’s brand, but I’ve seen others floating around in other grocery stores so use whatever type you like. It’s also superb cooked into scrambled eggs and tucked into breakfast sandwiches.

This dish is pretty good eaten just as it is, but if you want to dress it up and make it even better I very much recommend topping it with chopped avocado or salsa and shredded almond cheese (or other low-fat cheese). I plated mine on top of a handful of chopped butter lettuce blend because I like the wilted lettuce mixed with the hot rice but that’s entirely up to you.

Skipping Jack

serves 2-4, scales up easily

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice, uncooked
1 15oz can black eyed peas
1 bouillon cube or 1/2 teaspoon bacon salt
2-4 oz soy chorizo
hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
Cook the rice according to package directions. While the rice is cooking, rinse and drain the black eyed peas and place them in a small saucepan with enough water to cover by half an inch and the bouillon cube or bacon salt. Heat to a simmer over low to medium low heat and stir every couple of minutes to keep the peas from burning, but allow them to start to break up a little and get soupy, about 20-30 minutes. Add more water if they start to get too dry and thick. When the rice is done, toss it in a bowl with the peas and their sauce. Remove the casing from the soy chorizo and brown in a non-stick pan for a couple of minutes over medium heat, then pour into the peas and rice and fold to mix everything together evenly. Taste for seasoning and add some hot sauce if you want it spicier and serve.

Sausage Balls

Courtney — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:59:08 +0000

This hearty dish of sausage and tomato gravy was and still is one of my favorite “grandma foods”–those dishes that originated with her and were made by special request when we visited. Sausage balls were the first thing I asked her to show me how to make when I went to college and the recipe turned out to be super simple and ridiculously good. The recipe can also stretch a single pound of bulk sausage into several more servings simply by adding a little more onion and tomato juice to make more gravy–excellent for those of us who would happily live on gravy bread and mashed potatoes.
The meatball part of this dish can be made as large or small as you like. I favor making about eight large meatballs and serving one or two with a pile of mashed potatoes or thick cut slices of toasted bread, though sliced white sandwich bread works just fine too. We’ve occasionally served this with egg noodles as well, but I think it is at it’s absolute best with mashed or roasted potatoes. The one thing I do NOT recommend you do is substitue V8 or other juice blends for plain tomato juice, as the celery and spices that tend to be in them do not do anything good for the flavor of the overall dish. My mother would argue differently, but that would be why I learned this dish from my grandmother and not her. Her version never tasted right and it took me years to find out why.
Note: Despite the appearance of being a red tomato sauce, this gravy is really too thin to use on spaghetti. Shaped pasta works alright, but not the kinds that do best with a thicker sauce or you’ll have a puddle at the bottom and none on your noodles.

Sausage Balls
Serves 4-8

Ingredients:
1 pound bulk sausage
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 medium to large onion, chopped
4 cups tomato juice (could use up to 6 cups if desired)
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules or 1 large bouillon cube

Directions:
Mix the sausage, egg and breadcrumbs together in a bowl until combined. This is easiest with your hands, and squishy/messy enough to interest a lot of kids if you want to give them something to do. Form the mixture into meatballs of desired size for a total of somewhere between eight and sixteen. Heat a large skillet with deep sides over medium high heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, but don’t cook through. Remove meatballs from pan and set aside, pour off the excess fat from the skillet. Return the skillet to stove, reduce heat to medium and add onions to pan. Cook the onions until soft and starting to brown, then add the juice and bouillon and stir to dissolve the bouillon. Add the meatballs back to the pan and simmer the meatballs in the gravy for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through. Taste gravy for seasoning and add additional bouillon or tomato juice to adjust if needed or to stretch. I’ve added up to six cups of juice without losing any flavor, just add a little more bouillon and simmer together for another few minutes to thicken a bit. Serve hot over mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, bread or noodles.

Ham and Corn Chowder

Courtney — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:57:11 +0000

This quick and hearty soup comes together with relatively little effort for rich results. You can vary the ingredients to reflect what you have on hand but this variation relies on the smoky nature of the ham and sweetness of the corn to balance each other in a perfect bowl of soup for a chilly and wet day. Enjoy this chowder with some crusty bread and a salad to make a simple but satisfying meal.

Ham and Corn Chowder

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil or butter for sauteeing
1 large onion, chopped
½ pound ham, diced
2 cups broth (chicken, vegetable or ham)
1 ½ cups milk (soy, almond or dairy)
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups frozen corn, regular or roasted (available from Trader Joe’s and some specialty food stores)
½ to 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded (optional)
1 tablespoon cornstarch or 2 tablespoons flour mixed into ¼ cup cold water (optional)
Coarse ground pepper
Green onion, chopped (optional)
Diced ham, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Saute onion in butter or oil until translucent and just starting to brown. Add ham, potatoes and broth and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for 15-18 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Stir in milk, corn and cheese, if using. If soup isn’t thickened to your desired texture once the cheese is melted and mixed in, thicken with flour or cornstarch slurry and cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Season to taste with pepper and top with a sprinkle of cheese and/or a little more diced ham and green onion to serve.

Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

Courtney — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:55:59 +0000

With a ham taking on a starring role in many holiday dinners and parties these days there aren’t many people who haven’t had to stare down a few pounds of leftover ham slices and come up with ways to use them other than sandwiches. This hearty potato dish is based on a meal my grandmother used to make for me and makes leftover ham something to look forward to instead of dread.

I’ve always used these potatoes as an entree, usually served with something green such as salad, green beans or broccoli. They do make an excellent side dish as well, especially served alongside ham steaks or roasts if you leave out the ham in the potatoes themselves. If you prefer your scalloped potatoes on the cheesier side of creamy feel free to sprinkle in some shredded sharp cheddar as you layer the rest of the ingredients in the crock.

Please do use frozen peas here, canned ones tend to disintegrate or turn out very mushy in slow cooked recipes. If you happen to have fresh uncooked peas floating around in your kitchen use those, otherwise stick with the frozen peas.

Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

Ingredients:
1 can cream of onion or cream of cheddar soup
½ cup milk
7 or 8 medium sized potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
1 small to medium sweet onion, sliced thin
6 to 8 thick (¼ inch or so) slices ham
1 to 1 ½ cups frozen green peas (optional)
cooking spray or removable crock liner

Directions:
Mix the soup and the milk together until smooth. Layer the potatoes, onions, ham and peas into a well greased crock or liner, spooning some of the soup mixture into the layers as you go making sure to leave a bit to spread on top layer. Place crock into base and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours or until potatoes are cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper when serving.

Curried Ham and Vegetable Couscous

Rachel — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:54:22 +0000

Cook’s bone-in ham steaks make ham a great choice for simple and delicious meal ideas. This recipe takes only a few minutes to make and is simple enough that the whole family will enjoy it.

Substitute whatever vegetables you have on hand. We left out the raisins because I’m not a huge fan of cooked raisins but we added baby portobello mushrooms.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups finely chopped leftover Cook’s® Bone-in Ham or Ham Steak
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup of each: chopped green bell peppers, broccoli, carrots and red onions
1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
1/4 cup raisins
1 can (14.5 ounces) Chicken Broth
1 cup couscous, uncooked
Toasted sliced almonds (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Plain yogurt (optional)

Directions

1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add vegetables; cook 5 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add curry powder and red pepper; cook and stir an additional 1 minute.

2. Stir in ham, raisins and broth; bring to a boil. Add couscous; mix well. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Uncover; fluff with fork.

3. Garnish with the almonds, cilantro and/or yogurt, if desired.

Find more great ham recipes in the Cook’s Ham recipe book.

Ham and Cheese Pie

Rachel — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:52:05 +0000

Ham and Cheese pie, or quiche, is very simple to make and is a great way to use up some of the extra stuff in your fridge. Because the base of this dish is eggs, it is very affordable to make and it is easy to keep the ingredients on hand for a simple, quick dinner.

Ingredients

2 cups deli ham (sliced in small squares)
1 cup shredded cheese (I like cheedar or swiss but any type will work)
5 green onions, sliced thinly
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup of bisquick
1 cup of milk
1/8 teaspoon of pepper (more to taste)
2 eggs

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray the bottom of a glass pie pan with olive oil. Sprinkle chopped ham, cheese, onions, and applie in pie pan.

In a separate bowel, stir the remaining ingredients until well mixed or place in a blender for 20 seconds. Pour the egg mixture over the ingredients in the pie pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, uncovered, or until a knive stuck in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with a nice big green salad for dinner or a fruit salad for brunch.