Tag Archives: ham

Vegetables and Salads

White Bean and Ham Salad

White beans are very popular in Mediterranean cuisine. A number of bean varieties are referred to as white beans, and those include cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, navy beans, and baby lima beans. They all cook relatively quickly, have a mild taste, and are creamy and rich.

This recipe definitely gains flavor as it sits and chills. Consider preparing it well ahead of time, even the day before.

White Bean and Ham Salad recipe ingredients

2 cups cooked white beans
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 large red onion, chopped
2 cups cooked ham, julienned
3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
5 large garlic cloves, crushed
1-1/2 T Dijon mustard

How to prepare White Bean and Ham Salad

Combine beans, tomatoes, onion, ham and basil. Toss gently.

Whisk olive oil, vinegar, garlic and mustard until blended. Season to taste. Pour over bean mixture. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information for Cannellini Beans

Nutritional information is available from the USDA FoodData Central – Cannellini Bean Nutrition Facts

Veganize your White Bean (no Ham) salad

Simply leave out the ham and add a half-teaspoon or more to taste of smoked paprika or liquid smoke.

white beans
Soups and Stews

Gumbo

Filé powder, also called gumbo filé, is a spicy herb made from the dried and ground leaves of the sassafras tree (Sassafras albidum), native to eastern North America. It is used in the making of some types of gumbo, a Creole and Cajun soup/stew often served over rice; other versions of gumbo use okra or roux as a thickener instead. Sprinkled sparingly over gumbo as a seasoning and a thickening agent, it adds a distinctive, earthy flavor and texture. Filé can provide thickening when okra is not in season. Filé translates to “string”, suggestive of the powder’s thickening ability.

Wikipedia contributors, “Filé powder,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fil%C3%A9_powder&oldid=440771200 (accessed December 28, 2011).
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 3 large onion, chopped fine
  • 2 large cans tomatoes
  • 1 cup diced ham
  • 2 cups okra
  • 2 T filé powder
  • 2 T flour
  • 1 can whole kernel corn
  • 1/2 cup rice
  • 1/2 lb. shrimp
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 2 small hot red peppers
  • salt to taste

Fry bacon until golden and crumble. Put in chopped onions and brown lightly. Add tomatoes and diced ham. In another pan heat a spoonful of lard. Add okra; add flour and stir until brown.

Combine the two mixtures in a large kettle, add corn, rice and shrimp. Add water until the pot is 2/3 full. Add salt and cloves and peppers tied in a bag. Simmer for at least 1 hour.

Remove spice bag. Thicken soup with a little flour and water. Turn off heat, let gumbo sit for 5 minutes, then add filé. Serve immediately with extra rice on the side. 10-12 servings