One thing we used to really love mom to put in our lunches when I was growing up were deviled ham sandwiches. Deviled Ham was a type of meat paste that came in a can, but it was different from other canned meat pastes in that it came wrapped in white paper with a fancy red devil printed on the outsides.
We loved it. It was a bit spicy and salty and we just thought of these sandwiches as being very tasty. I am not sure if there is anything here in the UK that is the equivalent of it. If there is I have not found it.
I usually make my own and today I used some of the leftover ham from our Easter dinner to do just that. It is a very simple thing to make if you have a food processor. I am not sure you could get the ham fine enough otherwise although you could certainly try.
I think you might could with a really sharp knife, but it would take some time, chopping and re-chopping it to get the right consistency. If you have a food processor, I would definitely use that.
Even so you need to chop the ham up into a smaller pieces anyways. I cut my ham into thin slices with a sharp knife and then slivered the slices before popping it into the food processor. I used my small processor. It worked really well.
A small amount of softened butter adds to the richness of this spread. Making it even creamier. Don't use cold butter. It won't amalgamate as well. You need it to be softened. This gets blitzed with ham just until both are well mixed together and you cannot tell where one starts and the other ends.
Once that has happened it is only a matter of scraping it into a bowl and then adding a few more ingredients to add to the pleasure of this tasty spread.
Mayonnaise and mustard. I use real mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. The Dijon provides lots of flavour and heat and the mayo adds to the creaminess.
Sweet pickle relish. Now that is not something which is readily available here in the UK.
The closest thing I have found to it is this.
This is what I normally use however. I buy it from an American supply shop and it lasts for quite a while in the refrigerator. We enjoy it on hotdogs and burgers, etc.
If you can't get that then I suggest you get some sweet pickles (Mrs Elwood makes good ones) and chop them really fine. Or just leave them out entirely. Its your choice.
It goes without saying that you will not need any salt in this spread, the ham is salty enough, but you will need a few other things. I like to use plenty of ground black pepper, and then I add a touch of ground allspice for authenticity, and some cayenne pepper for heat.
There is not enough of any of them to be truly discernable, just enough to give you a hint of flavour and to be honest it wouldn't taste truly authentic without them.
While I am very happy to enjoy my Deviled Ham on crackers or crisp breads, Todd enjoys his in a sandwhich. This goes very well in a sandwich. Nothing else needed, just lightly buttered white bread and then a nice layer of Deviled Ham. Scrumdiddlyumptious!
Deviled Ham Spread
Yield: 16
This is rich, tangy, a touch sweet with a bit of heat. In short, delicious. Ready to spread on crackers or crisp breads or to fill a sandwich. This is perfect.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 pound of roast ham, thinly sliced and then cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 4 TBS unsalted butter, softened
- 5 TBS real mayonnaise
- 3 TBS Dijon mustard
- 2 TBS sweet pickle relish
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
Instructions:
How to cook Deviled Ham Spread
- Put your ham into the bowl of a food processor and blitz several pulses until coarsely chopped. Drop in the butter and blitz again, pulsing until the ham is finely chopped and the butter has been thoroughly mixed in.
- Scoop the ham into a bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients, combining all well together. Cover and chill for at least half an hour before serving.
- This will keep up to three days, covered and refrigerated.
This makes about 2 cups of deviled ham. I don't recommend freezing it, but you can quite successfully cut the recipe in half. I have done so myself without any problems. It will keep a few days in the refrigerator however. I have never had to throw any of it away as it always gets used up quickly. Very moreish.
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