Tag: Lauren Keating

Apricot-Mustard Baked Ham for #SundaySupper

This week, the theme for Sunday Supper is “low and slow” and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. As tempted as I was to pull out my smoker and show you how to make my absolute favorite smoked jerk chicken thighs, I’ve had a giant ham taking up valuable real estate in my fridge for far too long. I was pushing up against the expiration date – it was time to cook that bad boy.

Here’s the thing: I don’t really like ham. I eat it at Easter, but only after drowning it in syrupy raisin sauce. I only had this one because Shop Rite gave it to me for free after spending so much money on groceries leading up to Easter.

I browsed around for recipes, ultimately settling on this one for Apricot-Mustard Glazed Ham from Martha Stewart. The flavors were simple and straightforward, which I figured would be helpful as I tried to use the leftovers, since they wouldn’t be as limiting as taking a bolder approach might have been. In the end, it was pretty good! I served it with homemade scalloped potatoes and roast asparagus and, while it wasn’t my favorite meal of all time, it was definitely enjoyable.

But the best part of making a baked ham? Using the leftovers to make Cuban sandwiches the next day. (Leftover ham, sliced thin, and piled high with Swiss cheese and pickles and grilled to perfection. Do it! And then use the ham bone to make pea soup!)

Apricot-Mustard Baked Ham

Cook time

2 hours 30 mins

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

Author: Lauren Keating (Healthy-Delicious.com)

Serves: 24

1 bone-in smoked ham (about 10 pounds)
½ cup apricot preserves
¼ cup grainy dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Heat oven to 325*F. Use a small chef’s knife to cut a diamond pattern over the surface of the ham (cut should be about ⅓ inch deep and spaced about an inch apart). Place the ham in a roasting pan and cover with foil. Bake 2 hours.
In a small saucepan, combine the apricot preserves, mustard, and vinegar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, allowing the preserves to loosen up an form thin glaze.
Raise oven temperature to 400*F. Unwrap ham and discard foil. Brush all over with glaze. Return to oven and bake 30 minutes or until skin is crisped and golden brown.
Remove ham from oven and let sit at least 10 minutes before carving.

Calories: 335 Fat: 18 Carbohydrates: 9.5 Fiber: 0 Protein: 33.7

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Be sure to check out what everyone else made this week and join us for our weekly #SundaySupper Twitter chat from 7-8pm Eastern!

Low & Slow Breads & Starters:

Low & Slow Mains:

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Low & Slow Desserts:

Wine Pairing Recommendations for Low & Slow Food from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

Spicy Spanish Clams

I’ve been dreaming about these clams simmered in spicy, garlicky tomato sauce ever since having them at a local tapas place last month. The rest of our meal was just ok, but the clams were outstanding – I wanted to drink the leftover sauce right from the plate. It was one of those meals that I immediately knew I had to put my own spin on at home.

I gave my version a more sultry, smokey flavor by using fire roasted tomatoes and a big shake of smoked paprika and rounded it out with a big pat of butter. Served with wedges of sourdough bread for soaking up the extra sauce and a big plate of garlicky green beans, this is the kind of meal you’ll happily linger over for hours.

Sopa de Almejas at Barcelona Restaurant in Albany, NY

Spicy Spanish Clams

Author: Lauren Keating (Healthy-Delicious.com)

Serves: 4

1 large can (28 ounces) Muir Glen Organic fire roasted tomatoes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
24 littleneck or middleneck clams, scrubbed well
1 Tablespoon butter
Lightly toasted sourdough bread, for serving

Puree the tomatoes in a food processor or blender.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan set over medium-high heat. Add the garlic; cook 2-3 minutes or until light golden brown and very fragrant. Pour in the tomato puree, smoked paprika, red peppers, and cayenne. Reduce heat to low and let simmer.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the clams in a single layer (work in batches if necessary) and cook until they pop open – about 5-8 minutes. Stir 1 cup of the cooking liquid and the butter into the sauce to thin it out a bit. Add the cooked clams in their shells; simmer 5 minutes.
Serve with big wedges of lightly toasted sourdough bread for dipping.

Calories: 408 Fat: 22 Carbohydrates: 26 Fiber: 5 Protein: 27

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{Fat Free!} Golden Squash Biscuits

The first time I made these biscuits, this past fall, they were kind of a fluke. I was working on a freelance assignment about sneaking extra vegetables into food and I ended up with some pureed squash left over at the end of the day. I decided to use it in place of the butter in my favorite baking soda biscuit recipe, just to see if it would work, and was surprised to find that it was my favorite recipe of the day!

The dough for these golden squash biscuits comes together like a dream. It’s soft and supple and incredibly easy to work with, resulting in tender, flakey biscuits that are practically fool-proof. Once you’ve made them a few times and are familiar with the recipe, you can have them in the oven in 5 minutes flat. (Until then, it might take closer to 10.)

As an added bonus, these biscuits happen to be fat free! That means you can load them up with delicious filings without feeling guilty. The biscuits don’t taste like squash at all (promise) but they do have a very subtle sweetness that makes them perfect with a slip of butter and a drizzle of honey. They’re also fabulous with raspberry jam or as a little breakfast sandwich with a slice of ham and a fried egg.

They’re best served warm from the oven, but will keep about 3 days in an airtight container.

{Fat Free!} Golden Squash Biscuits

Author: Lauren Keating (Healthy-Delicious.com)

Serves: 12

2 to 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup winter squash puree (butternut, acorn, pumpkin, etc)
¾ cup skim milk

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicon liner or parchment.
In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the squash puree and milk to form a very soft dough. If the mixture is too wet, stir in additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough forms.
Place on a lightly floured surface and knead 10 times; pat into a ½-inch thick disk. Cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter and place on the prepared baking sheet, with the edges of the biscuits just touching. Re-roll and re-cut scraps.
Bake 10-12 minutes. These biscuits are best warm from the oven but will keep about 3 days in an airtight container.

Calories: 88 Fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 19 Fiber: 0.5 Protein: 3

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