Christmas has come and gone but there's still a huge chunk of ham in your fridge right? While we love a ham and cheese toasted sandwich more than most, have you ever thought about taking leftover ham to the next level?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Chef Adrian Richardson says it's rare there are leftovers in his house, with three teenage sons, but he loves it when there is some meat left.
"On the few occasions where there are a few leftovers here are a few of my favourite ways using leftover Christmas ham," he says.
"Dice the ham nice and fine and make a spaghetti carbonara, egg, parmesan and parsley, this is always a sure-fire crowd pleaser.
"Ham, leek and potato soup a great flavoursome hearty soup, serve with crusty crunchy sourdough bread and lashings of butter.
"Or cut thick slices of ham and pan fry with eggs, sausage and mushrooms for the perfect Boxing Day breakfast.
"For something more summery you can dice up the ham, some pineapple and mango and fold through cabbage and your favourite dressing for a Queensland-style coleslaw.
"Or nothing beats a ham and cheese frittata, like a quiche without pastry, perfect warm or cold, great for summer picnics and days at the beach."
Here are some more leftover pork ideas from Australian Pork. Head to pork.com.au for more tips and tricks on how to buy, store and cook your ham.
Ham, zucchini and feta fritters
Ingredients
- 200g sliced Australian leg ham, finely diced
- 2 (about 250g) zucchini, trimmed
- 2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 100g feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 1/3 cups self-raising flour
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- light flavoured extra virgin olive oil, for frying
- tomato chutney, sour cream and thinly sliced green onions, to serve
Method
1. Preheat oven to 160C/140C fan-forced. Grate zucchini and firmly squeeze in your hands to remove excess juices. Place zucchini into a large bowl. Add ham, green onions, feta and flour. Using a large metal spoon, gently stir until well combined.
2. Whisk eggs and milk in a jug and add to zucchini mixture. Stir until well combined. Season with pepper.
3. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Using 1/4 cup of zucchini mixture per fritter, cook fritters in batches (adding extra oil as required) for four to five minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a tray and place in oven to keep warm while cooking the batches.
4. Serve fritters with tomato chutney, sour cream and thinly sliced green onions.
Makes 16.
Ham bruschetta
Ingredients
- 8 thin slices Australian leg ham
- 2 figs, sliced
- 8 slices ripe (runny) Brie
- 8 slices grilled sourdough Bread
- toasted walnuts to garnish
- balsamic glaze to finish
Method
1. Place the sliced Australian leg ham on the warm grilled sourdough bread.
2. Top the ham with sliced fig and brie cheese.
3. Top with toasted walnuts and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
4. Serve warm or cold for lunch or as a pre-dinner snack or entrée.
Tip: Figs are seasonal and may be replaced with grilled peach slices or apricot halves.
Serves 4.
Leg ham, spinach and ricotta mini quiches
Ingredients
- 150g sliced leg ham, finely diced
- olive oil spray, for greasing
- 120g baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh ricotta (from the deli)
- 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 2 sheets frozen ready-rolled short pastry, partially thawed
- small basil leaves, to serve
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan-forced. Lightly spray 18 holes in two patty pans with oil spray.
2. Place spinach leaves into a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Stand for 10 seconds. Drain. Squeeze spinach to remove excess moisture and finely chop. Wipe the bowl dry and return spinach.
3. Add ham, ricotta, parmesan and eggs to spinach. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir until well combined.
4. Using a 7cm-round cutter, cut 18 rounds from pastry sheets. Line the prepared patty pan moulds with pastry rounds.
5. Spoon ham mixture into the pastry cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until filling is golden and pastry is golden.
6. Top the warm quiches with basil leaves and serve.
Tip: If liked, serve topped with a dollop of tomato chutney.
Makes 18.
Ham, artichoke and tomato salad
Ingredients
- 350g Australian sliced leg ham off-the-bone, roughly chopped
- 350g dried shell or penne pasta
- 280g jar marinated artichokes, drained and halved
- 350g tomato medley, halved
- 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup Kalamata olives
- 1/2 cup small basil leaves
- Lemon dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
Method
1. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of salted water following packet directions. Drain, refresh in cold water and set aside to dry.
2. To make the lemon dressing, place all ingredients into a screw-top jar. Season with salt and pepper. Shake until well combined.
3. Place cooled pasta into a large bowl. Add ham, artichokes, tomatoes, onion, olives and half the basil. Toss to combine. Drizzle with the dressing and gently toss. Spoon into a serving bowl. Scatter with remaining basil leaves and serve.
Tip: This is a great salad to make with left-over Christmas ham.
Serves 4.
Ham and spinach omelettes with roasted tomatoes
Ingredients
- 250g truss cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 150g sliced Australian leg ham, roughly torn into bite size pieces
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves
- 5 eggs
- 50g Greek feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
- toasted sourdough bread, to serve
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced. Place tomatoes onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush with a little oil. Season. Roast for 10-12 minutes until tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon oil in a large (about 23cm base) non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add ham and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside.
3. Place two cups spinach and eggs into a blender. Pulse until spinach is finely chopped and mixture is bright green. Season with pepper.
4. Heat one tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the egg mixture. Swirl and tilt pan gently to spread egg evenly over base of pan and cook until egg begins to firm, sprinkle over half of the feta and half of the chives. Top with half of the ham and half of the remaining spinach. Ease edges of omelette away from pan and fold in half to enclose filling. Slide omelette onto a serving plate.
5. Repeat using remaining oil, egg mixture, feta, chives, ham and spinach.
6. Drizzle omelettes with a little extra oil and scatter with extra chives. Serve with roasted tomatoes and toast.
Serves 2.
- Recipes courtesy of Australian Pork. pork.com.au
Karen Hardy
I've covered a few things here at The Canberra Times over the years, from sport to education. But now I get to write about the fun stuff - where to eat, what to do, places to go, people to see. Let me know about your favourite things. Email: karen.hardy@canberratimes.com.au
I've covered a few things here at The Canberra Times over the years, from sport to education. But now I get to write about the fun stuff - where to eat, what to do, places to go, people to see. Let me know about your favourite things. Email: karen.hardy@canberratimes.com.au
