{"id":620,"date":"2008-03-24T07:09:37","date_gmt":"2008-03-24T13:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.familyresource.com\/blog\/?p=620"},"modified":"2008-03-24T07:12:54","modified_gmt":"2008-03-24T13:12:54","slug":"beyond-the-sandwich-making-use-of-holdiay-left-overs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.familyresource.com\/blog\/2008\/03\/24\/beyond-the-sandwich-making-use-of-holdiay-left-overs\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Sandwich: Making Use of Holiday Left-overs"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’re hosting Easter dinner this year for the extended family of 15, which means that despite the gazillion-pound ham that I bought at the market yesterday, there will<\/em> be left overs. There always are. And of course, with left overs comes the lingering question of what to do with them to make them interesting for the next couple of days, and maybe even for a not-too-distant lunch, snack or dinner. Sure, I could send some home with the family as they each depart for their own homes, but that still leaves whatever is left for us to contend with. Whether you’re having ham, turkey or lamb for Easter (or any other holiday), these recipes may help make greater use of your leftovers too. <\/p>\n

Disclaimer: Please forgive any missing quantities or measurements. I cook like my mom and grandma: part alchemy, part inspiration, part magic and a whole lot of love. <\/p>\n

What to do with left-over ham: Savory Split-Pea Soup<\/strong><\/p>\n

You’re probably thinking “ick.” But this split pea soup will delight even the biggest naysayer. (I know, because my husband loves it.) If you have a ham with the bone in, save it, wrap it well in parchment paper or a freezer bag and refrigerate overnight or freeze if it will be longer than a day or two before using. (Don’t forget to put the date on it.) Do the same with some of the meat.<\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/strong>
\nHam bone (optional)
\nLeft over ham\u2014diced (about 1 cup)
\n1 16 oz package of split peas
\nvegetable or chicken stock\/broth (about 6 cups)
\nSea salt
\n1 T. Ground black pepper
\n1 T. Yellow curry powder
\n2 T. Cilantro or recaito
\nOne onion peeled and diced
\nSeveral cloves of garlic diced or pressed
\nOne to two whole carrots, peeled and sliced into disks
\nOlive oil
\nfresh parsley or cilantro
\nsour cream or half-and-half
\noptional: sherry or sauterne <\/p>\n

Equipment:<\/strong>
\nStock pot
\nWooden spoon
\nRubber spatula
\nLadle
\nBlender or food processor<\/p>\n

Directions:<\/strong>
\n1\tWash and drain peas. Set aside. (You can soak them in warm water while they are set aside.)
\n2\tIn the stock pot, place 2 T olive oil
\n3\tOn medium heat sautee the onion, garlic and 1 T cilantro until the onion is clear
\n4\tReduce heat slightly and add the ham, sautee for about five minutes
\n5\tReduce heat again and add 1 cup of stock\/broth
\n6\tAdd in the ham bone and add more broth gradually until the bone is covered (if not using the ham bone skip to #10 )
\n7\tIncrease heat again to medium-high and bring to a low rolling boil
\n8\tAfter mixture boils, reduce heat and simmer until the meat falls off of the bone
\n9\tCarefully remove the bone from the liquid and discard
\n10\tAdd the remaining broth (you can substitute one of the cups of broth with water or dry white wine)
\n11\tAdd the peas, carrots, 1 T of recaito or cilantro, 1 t of curry and the salt and pepper
\n12\tIncrease heat again and bring to a rolling boil
\n13\tReduce heat, cover and let simmer until the peas are tender (use a the back of a spoon and see if you can smush the peas against the side of the pot)
\n14\tRemove from heat and let cool about 10 minutes
\n15\tCarefully ladle the mixture into the blender or food processor
\n16\tAdd remaining curry (or more to taste) and blend until a velvety smooth texture and a uniform color
\n17\tRemove from blender\/food processor with a rubber spatula and serve in bowls
\n18\tSprinkle a bit more curry over the top and add a dollop of sour cream or swirl half-and-half in gently to the soup in small measures.
\n19\tGarnish with a sprig of parsley or fresh cilantro and serve. <\/p>\n

This soup can be served warm or cold. It also can be served in bread bowls for a fun touch. And, as a vegetarian option, skip the meat steps use vegetable stock. For added texture, use diced potatoes instead of meat, and add when adding the carrots and peas. Use the potatoes as the gauge for when to remove the mixture from the heat and blend. <\/p>\n

Next on beyond the sandwich, ideas for left over turkey. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’re hosting Easter dinner this year for the extended family of 15, which means that despite the gazillion-pound ham that I bought at the market yesterday, there will be left overs. There always are.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,116,81,61,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cooking","category-guest-blogger","category-healthy-eating","category-holidays","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.familyresource.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.familyresource.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.familyresource.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.familyresource.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.familyresource.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.familyresource.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.familyresource.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.familyresource.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.familyresource.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}