triticale - the wheat / rye guy

Kernalades Ham

No, it isn't a traditional Greek recipe. It isn't Greek at all, and that isn't the real name. The first time the wee wifey served it to me I misheard "The Colonel's Lady's Ham" and have maliciously persisted in misidentifying it ever since.

The recipe was found, under the original name, in "The Compleat I Hate To Cook Book" by Peg Bracken, one of the first of the now obiquitous quick and easy few ingredient cookbooks. We've added garlic and green pepper, and doubled the original recipe. Given that it the leftovers are delicious as a cold nosh straight from the fridge this produce just enough for the two of us. It would probably work just as well as a side dish for a banquet.

1 pound ham -- diced or cut into fork-sized chunks
4 Tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic -- minced
2 onions -- chopped
1 green bell pepper -- seeded and chopped
4 teaspoons flour
2 cup sour cream -- or yogurt
1 pound mushrooms -- sliced

Saute ham, onion and garlic in butter until onion is tender, adding green pepper partway thru. Sprinkle flour on top and then stir in. Turn heat down to low (this is why real cooks use gas stoves). Gradually stir in sour cream and mushrooms. Stir conscientiously for a few minutes while this thickens.

This is traditionally served over rice. To make the rice: Put 1 cup rice and 2 cups water in a good sized bowl. The wee wifey likes the Watkins Chicken soup base, and adds a well rounded tablespoon of it to the water. Otherwise just use a couple of chicken boullion cubes or leave it plain.

Place a plate on top of the bowl to cover it (we use the large Corelle bowl and the small Corelle plate; they match up perfectly) and nuke for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes check it. Our microwave cooks it nicely in three 5 minute increments. The microwave where she work is bigger and takes only 12-13 minutes total to cook. Check after the 10 minute cooking time to decide. If the rice looks pretty well cooked, nuke it in 1 or 1-1/2 minute intervals. After you have learned how your microwave works you won't need to futz so much with microwaving rice. The 5 minute cooking times seem to work better than nuking it for 10 minutes or 15 minutes.

Posted by triticale at September 23, 2006 07:56 AM | TrackBack