Making Peace with SPAM(tm)
Spam is a misunderstood, neglected tool that should be a staple in every non-vegan/vegetarian and non-kosher pantry.
Spam is essentially Pork Shoulder and Ham. There is sugar and sodium nitrate added. Nothing scary. Much less objectionable than what goes into Hot-Dogs.
How to eat spam.
The easiest way: Get a spoon or a knife and fork and dig-in.
Granted, this doesn’t appeal to everyone.
Cook as you would pork or ham. Simmer, Bake, Pan-Fry, serve chilled or add to already hot food at the last minute.
There are quite a few ‘versions’ of SPAM; I prefer Spam Lite, due to less jelly and I feel it has a better texture and flavor.
Some sample recipes from my repetoire:
Stir-fry (Feel free to modify the amounts to your tastes)
1 Can Spam Lite, cubed small, or small batonettes
2-3 cups rice, cooked
1 cup add-ins (veg, tofu, etc)
1 Tbsp Clarified butter
1-6 Tbsp soy-sauce or Tamari
Optional: 1-2 Tbsp Hot-sauce, add with soy/Tamari1. Pan-fry the spam until outside is desired crispiness, no added oil is needed, medium heat in a nonstick pan.
2. Add Soy sauce or Tamari, toss to coat.
3. Turn-up heat, add the add-ins.
4. When done to desired consistency, add rice and stir to mix.
5. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Southern Fry-up
1 can Spam Lite, sliced into 1/8 or 1/4 inch
1 can Heinz Beans
2 eggs
Smoked Sausage, 2 pieces (totaling roughly 1/3 of the horseshoe)
Pan-fried potatoes. (usually coined, wedged, or rough chopped)
2 pieces toast.1. Pan-fry spam planks and smoked sausage in nonstick pan, no oil needed.
2. Pan-Fry the potatoes in the rendered fat from the sausage and spam, add a little butter or oil if you need to.
3. Cook the beans until soft.
Optionally: add a squirt of BBQ sauce
Optionally: add a squirt of ketchup, another of mustard, and a tsp or Tbsp of molasses.
4. Fry eggs in butter, clarified butter, or cooking spray, lard, etc. Pick your lipid, my preference is browned butter.
5. Plate-up with toast and eat-up.
Spam -n- Beans
1 Can Spam Lite, Medium Cubes
2 cups red lentils
2 cups other large lentils
2 cups small kidney beans
2 cups black-eyed peas (substitute other bean if you don’t like them)
2 quarts chicken stock or broth
2-3 quarts water1. clean and rinse the kidney beans and black-eyed peas (or substitute)
2. bring beans and 2 quarts of water to a boil. Reduce to a strong simmer, and simmer for about an hour.
3. add chicken stock/broth, and return to a strong simmer.
4. add large lentils, cook about 10 minutes.
5. add red lentils and spam cubes, cook 20 to 40 minutes more, until the sauce is thick, and the larger beans are as soft as you like them.
(The red lentils should have exploded into a nice creamy sauce by then, and shouldn’t be recognisable)
6. Bowl it up and eat.
Optional: Pair with cooked rice
Optional: Pair with cooked potatoes (Mashed or Baked, or pan-fried/smashed)
Optional toppings: Cheese (shredded or sliced)
Sour Cream
Bacon Bits/Crumbles
hot sauce
Tony Chachere’s
Old Bay
BBQ sauce
Hoisen Sauce
splash of cider or malted vinegar
drizzle of molasses