Spring Fridge Reset

Pub #32

It feels like spring here in the PNW, and I could not be happier! The sun has been shining and warming my face more often, and if you are anything like me the market has me mesmorized. Local asparagus ya’all…this is the true sign that spring is here and warmer weather is coming soon. And, yes, I did buy some asparagus, because, when it’s in season and local it’s an auto-buy for me. It’s also my husband’s favorite green vegetable and that man will buy it in the dead of winter, but that’s a story for another time.

I waltzed back into my house with my perfect local asparagus, opened up my fridge and was smacked in the face in the remaining winter veg I had grown tired of, the rest of the leftover ham from Easter, and the bits and bobs of sides. So much for the spring in my step, I needed a reset. As much as I wanted to grill up that asparagus and pour an obscene amount of hollandaise over the top, I responsibly stored it in the fridge for another night and got to work processing the remnants of winter past for good eats another day.

What I had to work with:

1. ½ a ham (about 6 cups diced)

2. ⅔ container of spicy bread and butter pickles

3. 2 large celery root bulbs

4. 2 turnips

5. 3 parsnips

6. 2 large candy cane beets

7. 1 head savoy cabbage

8. Abundance of apples and pears

First, if you read my last newsletter about ham, you know making ham broth from the bone is top tier, so this is what I did, and at the same time cooked beans in that same liquid. This results in a smoky, ham-y broth, deeply seasoned from all the salty ham already, and the beans give the liquid a nice silky body. I use this broth for my “Not My Momma’s Lima Beans and Ham”. I did a version of this recipe with the many root vegetables I had on hand.

Second, I had a lot of ham to use up, and the soup while it made enough for a crowd did not need that much ham, so I made a midwest favorite, “ham salad”. Ham salad was not something I grew up eating, nor had I ever encountered the likes until 7 or 8 years ago when I was in my private cheffing hay-day, and started cooking for an older couple. Jim loved ham salad, and when he walked me through what he and his wife liked to have available he showed me a mixture of cubed ham, and pickles coated in mayonnaise. Hold on with me here after some research and a little finessing, he loved it. Surprisingly so did my family. I was shocked, and yes, it is delicious.