Ham Steaks with Russian Red-Eye Gravy and rice pilaf invites diners to embark on a culinary adventure where every bite tells a story of flavor harmony. In this exquisite pairing, elegance meets comfort, creating a memorable dining experience that lingers in the senses long after the last morsel is savored.
Sometimes, you need a little Christmas, right this very minute. That’s why we love ham steaks, because you satisfy your craving for a good piece of ham, without having to cook a whole ham. If you’re lucky, you even get to have the bone with the luscious marrow.
When I make a whole ham, I usually make a glaze of Russian mustard and Sour Cherry preserves. It’s sweet and a little hot and definitely wakes up the ham. One of the traditional gravies for ham steak is Red Eye gravy, which has, you guessed it, coffee in it. I wanted to incorporate both.
Since The Good Plate is all about deconstructing packaged foods, and one everyone likes a lot is Rice-a-Roni. Rice-a-Roni is rice pilaf but with way too much salt and other preservatives. There’s no need to use the box, just get the ingredients together and make it from scratch – you know what’s going in it, and you can add whatever you want. This recipe has nuts, so if you are allergic, you could try the Tomato Rice Pilaf instead.
Over the weekend, I made a salad with a new dressing. It was fresh dill and lime, and Amber loved it. She asked for it again tonight, so I’m including the recipe for it here.
Remember, if you’re having a ham steak, and you don’t want your bone, just give it to me!
Ham Steaks with Russian Red-Eye Gravy Recipe
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Ham Steak with Russian Red-Eye Gravy
Tips from the Chef
- Sour cherries are wonderfully sweet and tart and go perfectly with this. If you cannot find sour cherry preserves, use regular ones, and add some balsamic vinegar to add tartness.
- If you cannot find Russian mustard, use Dijon. Do not use yellow mustard.
- If you are afraid of being awake all night, use decaffeinated coffee.
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 2 Ham Steaks
Russian Red-Eye Gravy
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons Sour Cherry preserve
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Russian mustard
- 2 tablespoons *flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons black coffee
- 1 tablespoon Sour Cherry preserve
Instructions
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, 2 Ham SteaksHeat a skillet. Melt the teaspoon of butter, then add one of the ham steaks. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes on one side, then turn and cook, covered for 5 minutes on the other side. Remove the steak and keep it warm.
- Put in the other steak, and cook as above.
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons Sour Cherry preserve, 1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Russian mustardWhile the steaks are cooking, mix the Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of the sour cherry preserve, the Russian mustard, and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Taste for seasoning. It should be sweet and a little hot. Reserve.
- 2 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons black coffeeWhen both the steaks are done, put the remaining butter in the same pan and whisk it around, getting all the nice brown bits. Add the flour and whisk it in thoroughly. Add the coffee and whisk it in thoroughly as well. Let the sauce thicken a little, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly,
- 1 tablespoon Sour Cherry preserveAdd the reserved mustard cherry mixture and whisk that in thoroughly. Add the last tablespoon of sour cherry preserves if the gravy seems a little thick or doesn’t taste quite right.
- Cut the ham steaks into portions, and serve the gravy in a separate bowl.
Nutrition
Rice Pilaf with Cranberries and Almonds
You can put just about anything in this pilaf, these were just some of the things I had in my pantry and refrigerator.
Cranberry Almond Rice Pilaf
Equipment
- *Instant Pot Duo Evo optional
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons *vegetable base
- 4 cups water for the Instant Pot, reduce to 2 1/4 cups
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Shallots in Oil- 2 cups rice
- ½ cup vermicelli broken up
- mushrooms sliced about 4 or 5
- 1 tablespoon Marsala
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
Instructions
- Mix the vegetable base and boiling water to make vegetable stock.2 teaspoons vegetable base, 4 cups water
For the Stovetop
- Heat a large skillet and melt butter in it. Add the shallots in oil. Sauté the shallots until they are translucent.2 tablespoons Shallots in Oil, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Add the vermicelli and rice and saute continously until the pasta and rice have started to brown.1/2 cup vermicelli, 2 cups rice
- Add the mushrooms and sauté them until they have browned nicely on both sides. Add the Marsala, sauté until it has been absorbed. Add the butter, then the cranberries, almonds and pasta. Sauté that all around so all the pieces get nicely coated.mushrooms, 1 tablespoon Marsala, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
- Add the hot vegetable stock, stir, cover, and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed the stock. Fluff with a fork and serve.
For the Instant Pot
- Put the multi-cooker on saute mode and add the butter.1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Saute the shallots-in-oil and add the rice and pasta. Saute until the rice and pasta have begun to brown.2 tablespoons Shallots in Oil, 2 cups rice, 1/2 cup vermicelli
- Add the mushrooms and sauté them until they have browned nicely on both sides. Add the Marsala, sauté until it has been absorbed. Add the butter, then the cranberries, almonds and pasta. Sauté that all around so all the pieces get nicely coated.mushrooms, 1 tablespoon Marsala, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
- Mix the vegetable base and boiling water to make vegetable stock.
- Add the hot vegetable stock, stir, cover. Turn the cooker off. Put the cooker on Pressure mode and set for 12 minutes on low or 4 mintues on high. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Tossed Salad with Lime Dill Dressing
My friend, Amber, just loves this salad. It’s a light salad, and perfect on a warm day. Please use only fresh dill, not dried dill – then it would be awful.
I have to recommend the *Chef’n Flexicado Flexible Avocado Slicer. It is one of my treasured kitchen tools, and it makes making a salad like this one a breeze!
Tossed Salad with Dill Lime Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head Romain lettuce broken up
- 3 scallions sliced
- 2 Persian cucumbers sliced
- 1 tomato sliced or cut
- 1 avocado sliced
Dressing
- dill fresh leaves
- 1 scallion chopped greens only
¼ cup mayonnaise- 1 lime juice of
Instructions
- Put the vegetables in a nice bowl, cover loosely and refrigerate until ready to serve.1 head Romain lettuce, 3 scallions, 2 Persian cucumbers, 1 tomato, 1 avocado
- Make the dressing by putting all the ingredients in a small food processor, and processing until you have a smooth dressing.dill, 1 scallion, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 lime
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