Jeff, the A.D.D. Chef

If you followed my recommendation and made the glazed ham then you will probably have a pound or two of leftover ham. No need to worry. Here’s one way to use some of that leftover ham. Make a quick Cuban Sandwich. Though I cut a corner or two (didn’t use Cuban bread), nonetheless, it is easy to make and tastes great.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 “Hoagie” Rolls
• 3 tbs Mayonnaise
• 1 tbs brown mustard
• 4 slices of pickles (such as the Vlasic Kosher Dill Stackers)
• Enough thin slices of ham to cover one side of the hoagie
• 1/4 lbs of Swiss Cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix the mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl.
2. Spread this mixture on the insides of the hoagie.
3. Using the photo below as a guide, slice enough ham to cover one side of the hoagie.
   
4. Place two slices of pickle on top.
5. Then cover the other side with swiss cheese.
6. Melt the butter.
7. Spread a light coating of butter on the outside of the hoagie.
8. If you have a sandwich press, follow its instructions.
9. If you do not have a sandwich press, you will need two pans. A very large one to grill the sandwiches in and another one to place on top of the sandwiches. Cast iron pans are ideal because of their weight.
10. Place the sandwiches in the large pan, place a smaller one on top and press down to squish the sandwiches.
11. Grill at a low heat for several minutes on each side. Essentially you want to grill the bread a bit and you want the cheese to melt.

We’d love to hear about your recipes for using leftover ham and, if it passes the culinary editorial board (currently composed of one member), it may be posted right here for all the world to see.

You can contact us at: info at JeffTheAddChef dot com.

This is the perfect A.D.D. recipe. It cooks in the oven for about three hours (so you can hyperfocus on something else for awhile), it requires almost no skills, it requires no more than three ingredients and there are always leftovers that can be used to make another meal.

INGREDIENTS

• One ham such as the Butt Portion. Seven lbs. will feed about four people.
  
• 1 1/4 cups Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard (or other mustard of your choice like Zatarain’s Creole Mustard)
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the ham from its packaging including the little plastic piece that is inserted over the bone (it resembles the little plastic piece used in a pizza box).
2. Place the ham in a baking pan. The pan should have a depth of at least one inch since the cooking process will create juices.
   
3. Heat your oven to 325 degrees F.
4. Cooking time is based on 20 minutes per pound. This ham was 7.5 pounds so total cooking time was 150 minutes, or 2 1/2 hours. To be on the safe side, add an additional 30 minutes. This will assure that the meat closest to the bone gets cooked.
5. Mix all of the glaze ingredients (just brown sugar and mustard) when you are just about ready to put on the glaze. You should have something like this:
   
6. At the 2 1/2 hour mark the glaze goes on.
7. Before putting on the glaze, use a very sharp knife to lightly score the ham. You don’t have to apply much pressure, the ham will split open a bit by itself.
   
8. Now you are ready to put on the glaze. I spoon it on beginning from the top of the ham. Your glazed ham will look like this:
   
9. Put the ham back in the oven for at least 30 minutes.
10. When you take out the ham let it rest for about 10 minutes. You can then transfer it to a platter.
11. If you like, you can pour all of the drippings into a pot to make gravy. I scrape off any caramelized sugar that is in the bottom of the pan and put that in the gravy too. Stir it continually with a whisk while it boils. Do this for about five minutes. To thicken the gravy you can whisk in a few tablespoons of flour.
    

VARIATIONS

You can use these two links to find alternate “glaze” recipes.

1. Mustard and … ??
2. Brown sugar and … ??

I have the convenience of living a short walking distance away from a well-stocked grocery that has a wonderful selection of meats and poultry. I almost never have to cook with frozen meats and my chicken always comes out great. But there are times when I purchase more than I need (usually because of a great sale) and I have no choice but to freeze it. There’s one problem: some of the moisture gets lost in the freezing process. A technique that I use to “revive” the meat is to soak it in brine for at least 12 hours. It’s a “set and forget” technique that’s perfectly suited for the A.D.D. personality.

To brine the meat I use a large bowl and kosher salt. I pour some kosher salt in the bottom of the bowl (at least two or three tablespoons worth), put in some very warm water (a few cups worth), swish it around with my finger and then taste it. If my finger tastes salty, I’m done with the salt. Then I place the pork chops (or lamb chops or steaks or pork roast) into the bowl and fill it with more warm water. I swish it around a bit and make sure everything is submerged. I may put in some additional salt…if I feel like it. Then I place the bowl in my refrigerator and forget about it for at least 12 hours. When I am ready to cook the meat, I take it out of the water, pat it dry with a paper towel and then season it to my liking. And the final step…I cook it.