… Ham fried rice is the breakfast of champions! Use day-old rice straight from the fridge, and dice ham into small pieces and marinate for ten mins before cooking in a blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Get your pan or wok smoking hot and be generous with the oil. Push the rice to the side, crack some eggs in and scramble before stirring it all together with a good glug of oyster sauce, a little more soy, and a splash of Shaoxing cooking wine if you have it. Add whatever veggies take your fancy: chopped gai lan, cooked peas, garlic scapes, spring onion. Serve topped with crisp fried shallots, with Laoganma chilli and black bean sauce on the side.
For picnics and lunches… pinwheel scones with ham, vintage cheddar and piccalilli / ham, mozzarella and pesto stromboli / kimbap (Korean rice rolls) filled with strips of ham, pickled daikon, omelette, blanched spinach, and kimchi
For dinners… ham and new potato salad with black olives and cornichons / ham and scalloped potato bake / ham and pea tagliatelle with lemon zest and cream sauce / black bean and ham tacos with pickled red onions and avocado cream
For desserts… just kidding! (But never say never, hmmm…)
For Boxing Day parties… ham and mozzarella arancini / ham and pea croquettes with aoili / ham and sweetcorn mini fritters with tomato relish / thin slices of ham wrapped around blanched asparagus and lemon mayo
Ultimate ham sando
Decisions, decisions… what goes into the most delicious ham sandwich comes down to preference… sourdough, brioche, or rye? Piccalilli, relish, or nothing sharp at all? Mayo or aioli? Simple or stacked? So let’s break it down to components…
The bread – think about how much you’re in the mood for chewing… if you’re feeling energetic, sourdough brings a lovely complexity to the sando party. Go multigrain if you want more texture. Dark rye for a sophisticated touch. Sliced brioche loaf makes a lovely soft surround and adds a sweet touch that complements the ham. You may like to lightly toast the bread first – it brings out more flavour and introduces a subtle crunch that somehow elevates the whole experience…
Butter the bread – it’s just not the same without!
The ham – go with thick slices, or layer on thinner slices. Go decadent and fry the slices of ham first in butter with a touch of maple syrup, to coat them in a sticky golden sheen.
The sauce – at least one saucy element, if not more, makes the sandwich eating experience a smooth one. Mayo or something egg-and-oil based is a silky given; either keep it simple with a straight mayo or go down a flavoured route – garlicky (aka aioli), herby, chipotle, curried, harissa, wasabi, honey mustard… all very respectable decisions. A mustard, chutney or relish cuts through richness and can add spice notes as well as sweetness and/or heat. Pesto is a possibility – green or red. Some like a hot sauce addition, be it sriracha, habanero, or tabasco.
The salad – lettuce, rocket, or baby spinach for soft greenery, or cabbage slaw for solid crunch. Grated carrot with its sweetness pairs nicely with the ham. Sliced beetroot (controversial). Sliced tomato – a beefy variety with less seeds and water content will help avoid sog. Avocado. Alfalfa sprouts or microgreens. Thinly sliced rings of onion. Sliced dill pickles.
Cheese – takes a ham sandwich to next-level richness which is either welcome, or not. Try vintage cheddar, smoked cheddar, buffalo mozzarella, provolone, Gruyere or Emmental.
Vital – a good grind of black pepper and a smattering of salt.
Above and beyond – curried egg-spread. Grilled streaky bacon (double the flavour). Potato crisps. Peanut butter and banana – Elvis did it with bacon, let’s try it with leftover ham. Thinly sliced firm peach, or apple. Pineapple salsa. Celeriac remoulade. Waldorf salad.