Ham-ing it up

Traditionally, we serve ham as holiday fare, specifically during Christmas, or as breakfast food to go with steaming morning coffee or hot chocolate. Not quite true anymore, as far as Purefoods is concerned. And we agree, because ham is one of the most versatile food items there is.

Recently, the company that gave homemakers the delicious and sweetish fiesta ham went on a culinary expedition and, having named four ham-bassadors, came up with a variety of dishes using smoked boneless ham. Purefoods launched the product at a lunch held at Palm Grove at the basement of Rockwell Club on Amorsolo, where Chef Jessie has established a large group of regulars who are all food connoisseurs.

Ham-bassador Suzie did a pass-around duo of fiesta ham canapés in herbed crepe pouch and grilled kebabs on mini skewers, a perfect match to start the meal. Christine concocted a refreshing melange of summer vegetables and greens, beautifully arranged with ham strips, baby arugula, and French beans, slightly doused with a subtle passion fruit vinaigrette dressing and a thick soup of creamy potatoes. Barbie did a light and tasty spaghetti ala crème, while Danica cooked a wellington with spinach in creamy mushroom sauce. The crust was perfectly crunchy. Needless to say, the prime ingredient is the fiesta ham which perfectly blended with the flavors of the rest. Jessie, of course, is a master dessert maker and therefore produced a dish with tiny ham bits over the trio of small bread and ham pudding with honey-orange sauce to end a most satisfying ham-ing meal.

Now, what other uses can we make of this delicious block of meat? Ham is ever present in our kitchen. We have quite a number of dishes using ham; among them, paella, embotido (also used as stuffing for roast chicken), chicken casserole, even pancit, pastel and pasta. You too can make your own ham dish. Go for it!

We often pass by the little corner in Alabang Town Center where Mrs. Fields is. We have had coffee there as we rested our tired feet, but more often, we would pick up a few of their famed cookies and muffins. They are now offering special treats for graduates. They are very creatively done baked items, packed nicely, some with stuffed toys. Drop by and take a look.

Our friend Angelo has been a dedicated advocate of healthy eating for years, through his outlet called Sugarleaf located in Medicard Lifestyle Center in Urdaneta Village in Makati and the Health Cube building on Wilson Street in West Greenhills. Of late he has concocted a line of pies and a collection of Jello’s probiotic ice cream. Most of the ice cream flavors are vegan, including spirulina, green tea, malunggay, five-berry, mango and passion fruit. His sweet pies do not have white sugar but use coconut sugar. There is organic carrot cake, sans rival, and kefir cheese cake. The latter is a bit tart because of the kefir curds but sweetened with wild honey. Kefir is a probiotic preparation consisting of raw milk, coconut milk and coconut water.

Here is very simple recipe for pasta nicoise, which originated in Nice. You need 250 gms spaghetti; fresh, red tomatoes, cut in small wedges; black pitted olives, each sliced into three, crosswise; crushed garlic; and three pieces of anchovies. Cook spaghetti, drain and set aside. Heat 1/3 cup of pure olive oil and sauté garlic, olives and tomatoes, cooking them briefly. Add the anchovies and then the pasta. Mix well. Serve with green salad and toasted bread.

We may need to ready ourselves for more price hikes. The LPG we bought last weekend cost us P999.75. A month before that we paid P729.75. A clear 30 percent increase! Maybe soon it would be much cheaper to buy cooked food if you have a small family. Simply be sure they come from clean kitchens.

The bad elements in our society are getting bolder, striking in the middle of the day, or digging underground to get to their targets. Our friend at the Makati Supermarket in Alabang is incredulous that bank thieves passed through an underground hole under which the branch is located. It is sad that in most cases people die in the crossfire, or security guards perish while protecting their places of work. Is life so hard or do some people only want the fast buck?

Be careful, then. But how careful can one be?

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