Baked Honey Ham Salad …with wilted caraway slaw and rye croutons

Published in Carolina Country Magazine April 2020

Well then.  When I created my April recipes, I envisioned post-church or Sunday eve family gatherings… carrying on traditions of little girls in their frilly dresses and Easter bonnets, little boys with bow ties, and family pictures snapped out by grandma’s azalea bushes.  Ha!  Little did we know Corona was coming to town, all towns, and keeping us sequestered in our houses, from sea to shining sea… not even able to go to church! 

Unimaginable!!!!

I think this is the first time in my long lifetime I can remember anything so terrible as to keep us from the Lord’s house!  But… alas, here we are.

I’m quarantined because of knee surgery 3 weeks ago… and since I work at home, not a lot has changed for me. I’ve realized how much of a hermit I already am!  But honestly, I do have a little cabin fever… so I’m going to have to wrangle me somebody soon to come get me and take me for a countryside ride… to see some cows… pastures… woods….

A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G!  I mean, I like my physical therapist, but I need to see something besides ice packs and heating pads.

At this point, most or many of us are ordering our groceries online and driving thru, as fast as possible, to pick them up and airing them out on the porch before we even bring inside!  Years from now, when reading this, we’ll “remember when,” and those too young to remember Corona will say “do what?”

A “new normal” is coming to be for us all.  And we don’t even yet know what that is yet.

A fresh salad sounds real good right about now.  So if you can round up these ingredients, or something similar in your online grocery adventures, throw this together.  It is meant to be made with your honey baked ham leftovers.   It really is tasty and something a bit different and refreshing.  When I made it a few months ago as I got my recipes done with surgery looming and our 2 month out deadline, I enjoyed it for days and shared it all around.  

So, my friends… throw these ingredients you need into that online shopping cart and maybe you’ll get lucky because a truck came in!  LOL  Then, you will have them ready to make this salad with the ham giblets you have left… and don’t forget to add some dry navy beans to your order too. Because you will surely want to throw them in your crock pot with that ham bone for a delicious pot o’beans…  Now lookie there, at all the meals you can get from one big ole ham.  

So Happy Easter all!  This will for sure be one we will look back on for the rest of our lives… hopefully all as survivors.  Stay HOME. Do not risk being an unknown carrier and taking Corona to someone without even knowing it.  WE can get through this together.  

BE SAFE!  And come hang out with us over on my fun facebook community to chat about this recipe, and some of this… that and the other!  

Print Recipe

Honey Kissed Baked Ham Salad ...with wilted caraway slaw and rye croutons

Ready for something traditional with a nontraditional twist? Impress your table of Easter guests with this eye-catching ham salad. Or jazz up your leftover ham and skip the boring ham sandwich!

Course: Brunch, Main Course, Salad, Supper

Cuisine: American, Farmers Market, Garden Goodies, Summer Food

Keyword: caraway, honey baked ham, rye croutons, salad, slaw

Author: Wendy Perry

Ingredients

CROUTONS

• 4 slices rye bread
• 2 tablespoons softened butter

SLAW

• 8 cups finely shredded green cabbage
• 4 cups finely shredded purple cabbage
• 2 small red onions, cut in thin slivers
• 3 cups thinly sliced celery

DRESSING

• ¾ cup juice from a jar (24 ounces) of bread and butter pickles (We used Mt. Olive Sweet Heat.)
• 1 ½ cups preferred salad oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

HAM and TOPPINGS

• about 2 pounds baked ham with honey chopped
• 1 bunch broccolini florets, blanched and chilled
• 4 boiled eggs, chopped
• drained bread and butter pickles (from juiced above)
• 1 cup honey roasted cashews, crumbled
• pea shoots for garnish, optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• For the croutons, butter the bread, cube and place on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for at least 5 minutes or until desired crunchiness. Cool.
• For the slaw, combine ingredients into a container with a cover. Then place dressing ingredients in a jar and shake. Pour over slaw mixture, cover and shake to coat.
• Marinate several hours or overnight, shaking occasionally.
• To assemble, spread slaw onto serving platter. Garnish with ham, toppings and croutons.