HAM LOAF, WHO MAKES HAM LOAF?
Rosie Dunsford — February 2017
Sometimes a vintage cookbook will jump at me and yell, “I’m it! There’s a good food story here!” That’s what happened at a recent trip to the Lytton Springs, soon to be closed, Salvation Army distribution center. A sad loss to thrifters.
My fave shop at Lytton Springs, the recycled kitchenware store, had been reduced to a few well pawed shelves of unwanted bread machines, mis-matched cake pans and plastic whatever. I struggled to find something, even a pot holder as a souvenir of this last trip to a revered Salvation Army compound.
The gods were with me. Outside, on the garage sale tables, a book waved at me…”Favorite Recipes of American Home Economics Teachers…MEATS EDITION including Seafood and Poultry,” 364 pages published in 1961 and containing 2000 Favorite Recipes…One dollar! I was out the door.
Hmmmm. My nose was in the book as soon as I settled into the car. My friend and driver was forced to listen as I read ingredients and recipes. “Ham Loaf, who makes ham loaf.” There are forty-six recipes for Ham Loaf including Health Ham Loaf (could not figure out the health part), Candied Ham Loaf (the ham loaf is basted with brown sugar and vinegar while baking) and my fave, Pineapple Upside-Down Ham Loaf. Having read most of the forty-six recipes, I quickly assessed that brown sugar is a consistent component of, well…H.L.
Realizing that Easter is just around the corner…six weeks from Fat Tuesday on February 28th, it seems appropriate to share a recipe for leftover ham presented as Ham Loaf. As follows:
PINEAPPLE USIDE-DOWN HAM LOAF
Number of Servings: 6–8
2 c. ground cooked ham
1 1/2 c. ground pork shoulder
2 eggs
1 c.milk
1 c. finely crushed cracker crumbs
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 t. dry mustard
3 T. vinegar
3 slices canned pineapple
Combine first 7 ingredients. Combine sugar, mustard and vinegar and pour into loaf pan 10 x 5 x 3 inches. Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in a design. Pack meat on top. Bake at 375ºF. for 1 1/2 hours. Unmold.
Recipe from: Mrs. Laverne Littrel, Capello Community Schools, Capello, Iowa
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Before I put this puppy to bed, I have to take you on a stroll through some of the 2,000 recipes:
Swiss Steak was a runner up to Ham Loaf with thirty-three recipes. I liked Swiss Steak Quickie which used ground chuck, an envelope of onion soup mix, butter and 2 cans of mushrooms…I zoomed through the Liver Loaf section, Tongue with Cherry Sauce and Creamed Brains in Potato Cases…There are sixty-three pages of Ground Beef and Hamburger Favorites. Juicy Chicken Balls got my attention.
Superlatives were abundant…Savory, Quickie, Everyday, Wonderful, Perfect, Moist, Supreme, Economical (oatmeal!), Barbecued, Hobo, Low Calorie (corn flakes, nonfat dry milk with tomato juice), Deluxe, Mock, Smothered, Fiesta, Busy-Day (more canned soup) with most adjectives followed by Meatloaf or Pattie. I will stop with Beef Swirls (more canned soup). OK one more chapter:
FOREIGN MEAT DISHES: Right away, Dutch Oven Roast (!), Chinese Chop Suey, Pizza, Turkey Bombay, Cabrito Casserole (pretty much all Mexican recipes are from Texas, New Mexico and Colorado). The Cabrito Casserole (billy goat says the recipe) is listed under Wild Game.
I would like to mention in closing, that in the Publisher’s Note, there is a recommendation if one likes a recipe, that a note of thanks would be appreciated. Hence the name and address of the contributor. Ahh, the old days.
