Back home, I am in the midst of baking cookies for the open-house tour of the bed and breakfasts on December 5. I am finishing up food gifts and continuing to cook breakfasts for my guests. When will I find time to fix our meals? I decided to devote a day to making “frozen assets” to pull out on those busy December days we are all about to have so that we will still be eating sane and delicious meals instead of supporting our local MacDonald’s.
What’s in your refrigerator? Mine held the turkey dinner leftovers, a large quantity of ham from a few days before Thanksgiving, and two pork chops defrosted but not cooked because we were too busy enjoying the remnants of the turkey, and some leftover roast beef. I also had a large supply of sweet potatoes in my larder that I bought on special for $.38/pound and a large quantity of red grapes that were quickly losing quality.
Four hours later I put two foiled turkey dinners (complete with mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry relish, and corn pudding), one Shepherd’s pie, one hamburger pie, 2 ham loaves with cherry sauce plus one for dinner that night, a loaf of dill casserole bread, a Ziploc bag full of thin-sliced roast beef for sandwiches and some grape-cherry compote for serving at the inn into my freezer.
Now you know that I love to cook, so this was a fun day for me—but even if you don’t, the sense of accomplishment and the labor you have saved for later when you are really pressed is worth every moment. Those frozen assets in your freezer will really pay dividends this month.
The ham loaf dinner that we had on the day I cooked was especially delicious. I am not sure why ham loaf has gone out of fashion, but I am glad I resurrected this old-fashioned recipe. I made some changes to bolster nutrition and cut fat—and it was totally delicious. The cherry sauce was fantastic and because I used dried Montmorency cherries, it was less expensive than buying either the canned pie cherries or the frozen (available at Trader Joe’s). I think the dried cherries have a much more intense flavor as well. The sweet potatoes that I got such a buy on at were very pale in color. I have read about this variety, though I had never come across it before. They are sometimes referred to as Honey Sweets. I decided to go with the name and use honey in their preparation. Although they looked odd (such a pale yellow instead of deep orange) and they probably lacked some of the beta-carotene in their more colorful cousins, they still contain loads of vitamin C, E, folate, thiamine, riboflavin, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and quercetin. They have a low glycemic index, so that are a good choice for avoiding insulin resistance, a precursor to Type II diabetes. Oh yes, they are loaded with fiber—3.2 grams per ½ cup serving of mashed.
Ham loaf with Cherry Sauce
Ham Loaf (makes 3 small loaves 3x2 ½ “)
1 ½ pounds ham
½ pound fresh pork
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup fine bread crumbs
¼ tsp. pepper
Put ham and pork in food processor, slightly frozen; pulse until coarsely ground. Or, use food grinder with medium blade. Mix all ingredients together and pack into well-greased (or sprayed) loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until done.
Cherry Sauce
½ cup dried Montmorency cherries
2 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. cherry wine (optional)
¼ tsp. almond extract (optional)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water
Put cherries, sugar and 2 cups water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cherry wine and cook for 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust for sweetness and intensity of flavor. If flavor is too weak, reduce by cooking longer; if too intense, add water. If too sweet, add more lemon juice; if not sweet enough, add more sugar. Cherry sauce should not be cloyingly sweet. Off heat, add almond extract if using. Mix cornstarch and cold water and mix until cornstarch is dissolved. Add to hot cherry mixture and cook on medium until sauce is thickened and clear. Serve over ham loaf and pass extra on the side.
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