Ham is what's for dinner tonight.

Quite a while back (Easter) I bought a spiral sliced ham that has no sodium nitrates, nitrites, sulfites or MSG (all stuff I try to avoid).  After my wife did her Easter dinner thing (I can't remember what or how, only that it was killer good), there was still quite a bit left.  I wrapped it in Freezer Paper then sealed it in a big zip bag.

Two nights ago, I found it and moved it from the deep freeze to the refrigerator, knowing that tonight would be busy with little time for dinner prep.

The ham was beautiful!  No freezer burn, moist, great aroma...

Ham always makes me scratch my head wondering, "What goes with this?" and "How should I re-heat it (since it's cooked already)?"  With not enough time to fire up the grill, I opted for the down and dirty cooking option:  cover it with wax paper and microwave on high for about one and a half to two minutes.  Cheating you say?  Tough!  We were hungry and in a hurry.

Okay, so with that decided, what to make with it?  Since I bought myself some prep time I decided to take 15 minutes to make a great and simple side dish.  Into the refrigerator and pantry I go.  What do I find?

• Fresh Mushrooms (rinse, set on a cutting board to dry then slice in halves)
• A Tomato (slice then dice)
• A small jar of Artichokes in olive oil
• A bottle of white wine in the refrigerator
• Olive Oil (I get this killer stuff from my favorite local Italian restaurant.  The owners are from Lebanon and they import cases of this stunningly beautiful, green, flavorful and fragrant oil from their hometown.  They aren't supposed to be able to sell it but we're on pretty good terms.  Just like they aren't supposed to sell their homemade limonchello (I'll post my recipe sometime because these guys won't share theirs), but they "give it away to their friends who eat there."
• Basil (I didn't have any fresh but I had the dried herb)
• Salt (I use sea salt because it's larger grains seem to make flavors pop more).
• Everything that I had that was green...really wasn't anymore so we did some refrigerator cleaning while we were at it, leaving greens out of tonight's menu.

How you cook the above can enhance or negate the flavor nearly as much as the quality of the ingredients you are cooking with.  With 10 minutes to spare, this is what I did:

• Put a stainless steel pan on the stove and let it start to get hot.
• I avoid non-stick things because of the various plastic chemicals that come off into your food (not just my opinion).  I avoid aluminum pans because it isn't good for you and because they don't distribute the heat as well as stainless steel).
• Stainless steel pans are VERY easy to clean as long as you follow the steps below.
• When you can put your hand near the bottom of the pan and feel the heat, add olive oil.  Just enough to almost cover the bottom of the pan
• It should NOT be so hot that the oil begins to swirl or pop or bubble when it hits the pan.
• Waiting for the pan to heat first, allows the steel molecules to expand, so the oil and food do not penetrate at a molecular level.  This, along with the post-cooking steps described below make the clean-up a breeze.
• Pour in some white wine (if you feel compelled to measure, I think I used about a quarter of a cup)
• Add the Artichokes (I drain their oil from the jar because I thinks it is a cheap version of olive oil that doesn't taste that good)
• Add the Mushrooms
• Add the diced Tomato (watch for spitting if your pan is too hot)
• If you have garlic, add this too.  I forgot it this time (DARN)!
• Stir a few times, turn up the heat to medium or medium-high and let it cook for a couple of minutes while you put the ham in the microwave
• Sprinkle enough Basil on top to add a nice green dusting (don't coat it)
• Lightly sprinkle salt over these ingredients
• At this point, its really just a matter of cooking it long enough to reduce the liquid to a really nice...almost sauce consistency.  The real cooks call this a reduction (duh).  Steam should be rising hot and heavy from the pan.  Just DON'T let the ingredients burn by forgetting them.  Stir on occasion.
• Once the liquid isn't liquid any longer, you're done!

Spiral sliced ham, a side dish of sautéed mushrooms, artichoke, tomato and basil, and a fruit (we sliced up some fresh watermelon), with a glass of that white wine on the side...not bad at all!

Okay, that last part of easy clean-up of stainless steel pans:

• After you serve the food from it, allow it to cool
• Once it has cooled, set it in the sink with some soap and water in it while you eat (do not add soap and water to a hot pan!)
• By the time you bring your dinner dishes to the sink, the pan will wash off easily.  No scrubbing needed!

Tonight, my after dinner drink is a glass of bourbon whiskey (Basil Hayden's) which is unlike most any other bourbon you may have tried and liked (or not).

Enjoy!