Linda Eggers - Spam: The Cookbook

compiled by Linda Eggers

Published by
GOPHER PRAIRIE PRESS
Post Office Box 2001
Bellevue, Washington 98009

Copyright 1998 by Gopher Prairie Press.
Copyright 1998 by Hormel Foods Corporation for cover, product label image, and certain recipes used with permission by Hormel Foods. SPAM and SPAMBURGER are registered trademarks of Hormel Foods Corporation for a pork product and are used by permission of the Hormel Foods Corporation.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without the prior written permission of the Publisher, excepting brief quotations used in connection with reviews, written specifically for inclusion in a magazine or newspaper.

ISBN 978-0-9841674-0-1 (print)

Graphic Design: William Allen
Developmental Editor: Sal Glynn

DEDICATED

TO THOSE WHO EAT

SPAM LUNCHEON MEAT

SIMPLY BECAUSE IT

TASTES GOOD

Original SPAM Luncheon Meat is made from 100 percent high-quality pork and ham. It has no fillers, cereals, or meat by-products. This cookbook contains 100 percent high-quality SPAM recipes and is organized so youll have a unique opportunity to go whole hog sampling the richly diverse regional fare of our country.

THE ORIGINAL SPAM LUNCHEON MEAT CAN

The original SPAM can label featured the meat loaf on the left, with three slices shingled to the right.

With the exception of the introduction of the SPAMBURGER Hamburger in 1992, the full loaf has graced the front of the little blue and yellow can since 1937. Sixty years later, the original formula SPAM Luncheon Meat label changed to the new design and serving suggestion.

THE ORIGINAL SPAM LUNCHEON MEAT RECIPE

T he only refinement to this original recipe was to recommend that consumers use their own favorite baste or sauce. The original sauce balanced the richness of the pork with the sharp snap of the vinegar and mustard, and the caramelized sweetness of the brown sugar. This saucy combination has its roots in the rich tradition of baked country hams, where it was not unusual to find blackstrap molasses, tea, and beer as flavors.

1 (12 ounce) can SPAM Luncheon Meat whole cloves

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

Preheat oven to 375F. Place SPAM Luncheon Meat on rack in shallow baking pan. Score surface; stud with cloves. Combine sugar, water, mustard, and vinegar, stirring until smooth. Brush over SPAM. Bake for 20 minutes, basting often. Slice to serve. Serves 4.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPAM LUNCHEON MEAT

1937 Hormel Foods Corporation introduces SPAM Luncheon Meat.

1940 In their radio show, George Burns and Gracie Allen, along with Spammy the Pig, put SPAM in the national spotlight.

1941-45 More than 100 million pounds of SPAM are shipped abroad to feed allied troops during WWII.

1942 Bud Abbott & Lou Costello hold war bond rally in SPAMTOWN.

1945 The Hormel Girls, a sixty-member performing troupe, begin entertaining people across the country.

1959 One-billionth can of SPAM is produced, enough to circle the globe two and a half times.

1962 The seven ounce size of SPAM is introduced to meet the needs of smaller households.

1970 SPAM Classic makes its TV debut in Monty Pythons Flying Circus .

1971 Hickory Smoke Flavored SPAM and SPAM with Cheese is introduced.

1986 SPAM Less Sodium is introduced.

1991 Debut of the annual state fair Great American SPAM Championship recipe contest.

1992 SPAM Lite is introduced.

1997 On SPAMs 60th anniversary, the loaf image is replaced by the Spamburger hamburger on the can and SPAM Oven Roasted Turkey joins the family of fine SPAM products.

2000 SPAM Museum opens in Austin, Minnesota, and SPAM Hot & Spicy is introduced.

2004 SPAM with Real Hormel Bacon is introduced.

2007 SPAM Singles is introduced. Production of SPAM products reaches seven billion.

2012 SPAM celebrates its 75th anniversary.

INTRODUCTION

M ain Streets are lined with rich memories. For many, including me, the memories are of simpler days, of an early childhood in a small rural hometown. Main Street was usually the busiest thoroughfare, defining the business area, and then coursing through distinctive neighborhoods where kids with clamp-on roller skates would weave around hopscotchers and frost heaves in the concrete sidewalks. Homes, not houses, lined the Main Streets homes where moms, dads, sisters, and brothers (and if you were truly fortunate, a grandparent or two) would gather in kitchens to enjoy food, company, the radio, and the warmth and aromas from baking ovens on cold winter days. Meals prepared in the family kitchens of these small towns often included the original SPAM Luncheon Meat. A little bit of SPAM still works wonders in rediscovered comfort foods and can provide the nouvelle ingredient in many of your own favorite recipes. Main Street now runs through dense urban centers and suburban communities; cooks in the kitchens in these diverse neighborhoods are changing family recipes to fit their busy schedules. Friends, family, and professional chefs have generously contributed their special home-style SPAM recipes for your convenience and enjoyment. I have my favorites, and I hope youll find yours.

O ften referred to as the American Heartland, the Midwest fills the national breadbasket and is circled by the dairy belt. Austin, Minnesota, also known as SPAMTOWN USA, is at the heart of this land. As seen in the following recipes, those who enjoy the hearty meals associated with rural and small-town middle America truly do live high on the hog.

SPAMBURGER HAMBURGER

C hopped beef had a long history in Europe before it was declared an all-American meal. Most food historians agree that the first commercial broiled and bunned burger was served by German burghers at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis.

There is as much pigskin in a football as there is ham in an ordinary hamburger. For a real HAMburger, you need SPAM Luncheon Meat.

1 (12 ounce) can SPAM Luncheon Meat

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 hamburger buns, split

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

6 lettuce leaves

6 (1 ounce) slices American cheese

2 tomatoes, sliced

Slice SPAM lengthwise into 6 equal pieces. In a large skillet, heat oil and saut SPAM until lightly browned. Spread mayonnaise equally on buns. Layer ingredients on bun bottoms as follows: lettuce, SPAM, cheese, tomato. Cover with bun tops. Serves 6.

VICTORY BUNS

V ictory meals and victory gardens expressed the hopes and dreams of the generation that came of age during World War II. Each was a personal statement in conservation and making do. This favorite from the 1940s was often served for lunch.

1 (7 ounce) can SPAM Luncheon Meat, cubed

1/2 cup cubed processed cheese

2 eggs, hard-boiled, shelled and cubed

1/4 cup mayonnaise

4 to 6 hot dog buns

Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, combine SPAM, cheese, eggs, and mayonnaise. Split and butter buns, and place on lightly greased baking sheet. Fill buns with SPAM mixture and place in oven until cheese melts and the edge of the buns start to brown. Serve at once with ice-cold milk. Serves 4 to 6.