Skillet Ham & Rice

 

 

 

Skillet Ham & Rice.  I had a small quantity of cooked ham that I wanted to use up today and I had been eyeballing this recipe I found the other week in a Taste Of Home special issue magazine called Cooking for Two.

The recipe was attributed to Susan Zivec of Regina, Saskatchewan. It appealed to me because not only did it use a very few ingredients, but I had everything I needed to make it in my store cupboard and my refrigerator.

 

Taste of Home Magazine was a magazine I subscribed to for a number of years prior to moving over to the UK. I have bought a few issues since my return to Canada and I have to say its not the same as it used to be.  

When I left Canada the recipes in the magazine were presented in recipe card format, so very easy to clip out and pop into the recipe box. That is no longer the case.

I much preferred the old format, but then I am not a person who really embraces change. Not all change is for the better and I think the recipe cards were a lot handier to use and, in my opinion, more attractive.

Of course, the recipes are still very sound I believe.  Sent in by cooks who consider them to be their best and winners one and all.  Very much like the community cookbook of old.  Those have always been my favorite kind of cookbooks.

 

After all of the rich food of the holidays I was craving something very simple today.  Quick, easy and delicious.

This recipe promised to be just that. Quick, easy and delicious. 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SKILLET HAM & RICE

Not very many ingredients are needed, which is something which really appealed to me.

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (about 7 or 8 medium mushrooms)
• 1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken stock
• 1/4 cup (60ml) water
• 3/4 cup (69g) uncooked instant rice
• 2 spring onion, washed trimmed and sliced
• 2 TBS shredded Parmesan Cheese

 

I used Crimini mushrooms.  Any kind of button type of mushroom would work well. What you don't want to use are portabella or baby portabella. Not unless you remove the gils. They will color this dish a god-awful color in my opinion.

Instant rice (Minute Rice) is not something that is readily available in the UK. You can use a pouch of ready cooked rice, but you will not need to add all the stock or water in that case as you won't be cooking the rice. Just use a tablespoon or two of stock to flavor the rice or use a chicken flavored cooked rice pouch.

It will also be ready a lot sooner in that case as well as the rice is already cooked, and you will merely be heating it through.

In North America you can use the instant brown rice if you are wanting more fiber and nutrition in the dish. This is what I did.

 

I used ham leftover from New Years. I just trimmed off any fat and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes.  The cooking onion was peeled and chopped into a 1/4-inch dice.

The spring onions were cleaned, trimmed and sliced crosswise thinly.  I used prepacked shredded Parmesan cheese today.

 

HOW TO MAKE SKILLET HAM & RICE

This was very quick and easy to make which really appealed to my post-holiday lazy streak!

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook over medium high heat until tender.

Stir in the ham, ground pepper, chicken stock and water. Bring to the boil. Stir in the rice.

Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the rice is tender. This will take about 5 minutes.

Fluff the cooked rice with a fork. Scatter cheese and spring onion over top and serve immediately.

The ease and speed of preparation for this dish really appealed to me as did the size.  Only feeding two people it was the perfect size for me to enjoy today and then the leftovers tomorrow.

If you wanted to you could bulk it out with some cooked vegetables.  Peas and carrots would be nice as would chopped cooked broccoli. These would also add a nice pop of color.

 

Another thing I loved was that it was a dish that was very low in fat.  And aren't we all looking for dishes that are that little bit lower in fat in the month of January.  Also if you use low sodium chicken stock and ham, you can watch your salt intake.

I did not use any salt in the recipe, but I seldom do these days and I am quite used to there not being any salt.  You need to add salt according to your taste, but do remember ham can be quite salty.

Altogether this was a really tasty, quick and easy supper. All you need on the side is a salad or something similar.  Perhaps a cooked vegetable.  Quick, easy, delicious and sized for two. This works for me!!

Are you a fan of cooking for two?  An empty nester or singleton like myself?  If so, you might also enjoy the following recipes which are tailored just for two. 

CLASSIC POT ROAST FOR TWO - You might think Pot Roast would be off the menu if you are a smaller family. Who wants to be eating pot roast all week. This tasty version is sized perfectly for two people to enjoy one main meal and then some leftovers the next day.  It's delicious, and includes potatoes, carrots and a delicious gravy.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI FOR TWO - This is one of my absolute favorite chicken dishes.  I am a huge fan of Tex-Mex Flavors. I have a real love of all of it, tacos, chili, enchiladas, etc. It all pleases me beyond belief.  Tender pieces of chicken, white beans, and corn in a rich and delicious green chili sauce. With a bit of sour cream on top and some grated cheddar this always goes down a real treat!

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Skillet Ham & Rice

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 25 Min

This is a delicious combination of ham, rice and mushrooms. Quick, easy and fabulously tasty!

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (about 7 or 8 medium mushrooms)
• 1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken stock
• 1/4 cup (60ml) water
• 3/4 cup (69g) uncooked instant rice
• 2 spring onion, washed trimmed and sliced
• 2 TBS shredded Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook over medium high heat until tender.
2. Stir in the ham, ground pepper, chicken stock and water. Bring to the boil. Stir in the rice.
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the rice is tender. This will take about 5 minutes.
4. Fluff the cooked rice with a fork. Scatter cheese and spring onion over top and serve immediately.

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