Ham Cabbage Quickie Food

TRADITIONAL IRISH HAM AND CABBAGE DINNER

Steps:

• Place thyme, parsley, and onion in a cheese cloth for easy removal after cooking.
• Put ham into a large pot and cover with cold water.
• Add all other ingredients except cabbage and bring to a boil.
• Turn to simmer and cook until veggies are tender.
• Remove the herb bag.
• Add cabbage, simmer for 20 minutes.
• or until cabbage is cooked.
• Remove ham and cut in to pieces.
• Place on the center of a large platter.
• Strain the cabbage and season it with pepper.
• Surround the ham with the cabbage, carrots, and potatoes.
• EAT!

BEST BOILED HAM AND CABBAGE

Steps:

• Remove the ham from its wrappings. Cut off the skin and make sure you remove the plastic thing that covers the end of the bone.
• Stud the ham with the whole cloves, distributing them evenly over the surface.
• Put ham and onions into a very large pot and cover with COLD water. Its important to use cold water because it draws the excess salt out of the meat and makes a more flavorful broth.
• Bring to a boil slowly over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
• Add all the veggies except the cabbage. Raise heat and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer another 15 minutes or until the largest potatoes are nearly cooked.
• Add the cabbage wedges. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Simmer another 10-20 minutes until cabbage is cooked but not mushy.
• Use a large, slotted, serving spoon to remove all the veggies to a large serving dish.
• Lift ham onto a platter and carve off a suitable number of servings for the meal.
• Serve each person a slice of ham and a portion of each vegetable. Grind black pepper over the plate and offer butter for the potatoes and other roots if desired.

SKILLET HAM, CABBAGE AND POTATOES

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, saute onions in the margarine. When tender add cabbage and stir. Pour water over, cover and simmer gently on medium low for ten minutes.
• Add potatoes and mix. Cover again and allow to simmer for ten more minutes. Additional water may be needed. Sprinkle seasoning salt and paprika over cabbage and potatoes. Allow to simmer covered for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until cabbage is soft and potatoes are nearly cooked. Mix ham in and finish cooking until ham is hot and potatoes are done.

HEARTY CABBAGE AND HAM SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, and carrot. Saute for 4 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute more.
• Add cabbage, broth, ham, potatoes, parsley, thyme, marjoram, and ground pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in peas and cook for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.

HAM AND CABBAGE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Spread out chopped ham on the bottom of the prepared dish.
• Set hash browns on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high power for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Potatoes should be thawed and feel slightly warm to the touch, but not be cooked. Set aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook onions until they are just starting to turn clear, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chopped cabbage and continue to cook, stirring often, until cabbage wilts down a little but is still crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in shredded raw carrots and microwaved hash browns, then add mixture to the baking dish.
• Wipe out the skillet and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Combine all-purpose flour, salt, dry mustard, and white pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle flour and seasonings over the melted butter and stir, constantly, until flour and butter are well mixed and the mixture is bubbly, about 3 minutes. Allow to bubble for 1 minute, while stirring.
• Gradually pour in milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook, stirring, until the mixture boils and thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, stir in an additional 3 to 4 tablespoons milk. Remove from heat.
• Add half of the grated Cheddar cheese and stir until it is melted, then add the remaining half and repeat.
• Pour sauce over the casserole and top with crumbled bacon and cracker crumbs.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top is bubbly and brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm.

CLASSIC CABBAGE WITH HAM AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Cut cabbage head in half and pop out core.
• Clean potatoes, no need to peel, but do use a dish sponge scratchy side to scrub them really well--cut off any bad black spots. Cut in half.
• Place cabbage on bottom, then top with potatoes.
• Toss in one left over ham, bone and all (or just the few pounds of ham you've purchased for this recipe -- I can say that you almost cannot have too much ham! But, it's all got to fit in your pot! LOL!). You do not have to cut it up. I see so many recipes where they are cutting the meat off the bone in neat little cubes and adding them to the pot. That is craziness! Firstly, the bone has a LOT of flavor and secondly, why work when the steam causes it to fall off the bone? I like to just toss in the entire ham, with whatever is leftover from our meal. When the dish is ready it will literally just fall off the bone at the time of serving. That is the beauty of this dish -- easy peasy!
• It's ok to just squeeze in all the ingredients the best you can. You will be cooking at extremely low heat for a very long time, it will all be fine.
• Salt and pepper to taste -- or do like I prefer to do and add nothing until it is plated. The ham is salty so it is very easy to over salt this dish. Be careful.
• A crock pot is perhaps the best way to make this meal the first time around, however I have made it on the stove top with the heat set to the lowest setting for the past 30 years. I like to use the stove because I have a pot far larger than the crock. It's up to you. If using a crock pot, use the medium setting all day long (depending -- if you have a crappy crock, you may need to set it on high -- you know what you have). On stove, cook at lowest possible setting all day. This is the perfect meal to set up before going to work -- when you get home dinner is ready!
• I just want to make a point of saying that NO water is required. You may have a hard time believing this. My mother certainly does and has ruined many pots as she will dump a tall glass (or 2) of water in when I'm not looking. Unfortunately you then wind up with a pot of water with ham, cabbage and potatoes swimming around begging to be rescued--and you lose a ton of flavor. DO NOT ADD WATER. Please trust me. There will be plenty of juice from the cabbage. So much so that you will most likely throw it out (though I like to use it as broth to pour over the dogs' dry food).
• So, quick recap -- just clean everything and squeeze it all into you pot or crock. For stove top, cook at lowest setting all day long, crock -- go for medium.

TRADITIONAL HAM & CABBAGE

Steps:

• 1. Put all ingredients into a large, uncovered Dutch oven or soup pot with enough water to cover halfway. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil.
• 2. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for at least two hours.

HAM & CABBAGE QUICKIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Cook cabbage 5 minutes, then drain.
• Place half of cabbage in a greased 2 quart casserole and sprinkle with flour.
• Add layer of ham and cover with remaining cabbage.
• Pour milk over top and cover with the cheese.
• Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
• Uncover for the last 5 minutes.