Ham Salad

I was in the mood for ham salad for lunch a few days ago.  As I was organizing the freezer, I noticed there was some frozen ham tucked away.  I happily pulled it out to thaw, and the next morning was off and running on my quest for a tasty ham salad sandwich. 


I always make my ham salad in the food processor.  So, I cleaned and chunked the ham and plopped in in my food processor bowl.  Then, pulsed it just a few times to start breaking up the large chunks. 

Then, add some roughly chopped celery and onions. 

 

And then add some mayonnaise - oh, no!  At this point I just realized I am out of mayo.  Hmmm, what else to use?  I found some interesting looking salad dressings in the fridge, and ended up putting a dollop of asiago peppercorn, ranch and light honey mustard dressings in the food processor bowl.  I also added a few grinds of some freshly ground black pepper and a few pickles. 

Then pulse until the mixture is at a good consistency and tasted the mixture.  It wasn't quite right.  As I looked in the refrigerator and the cupboards, the mirin caught my eye. 

I added about a teaspoon to the ham salad, stirred it in and tasted it again.  Perfect! 

Ah, now, time to eat!  I served the ham salad on a bun with some fresh spinach.  It was delicious. 

Ham Salad

• leftover ham chunks, about 2 cups worth
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 - 4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• squirt asiago peppercorn dressing
• squirt ranch dressing
• squirt honey mustard dressing
• dash salt
• 4 baby pickles
• 1 or 1 tablespoons pickle juice
• about 1 teaspoon mirin

Pulse ham chunks in food processor slightly.  Add remaining ingredients, pulse a few more times until the mixture has a 'ham-salad' texture.  Try it.  Too dry?  Add a little more of one of the dressings.  Need a little more spice?  add some more pepper.  Need a bit of sweetener? - add a hint more mirin.    

Let chill for an hour or two if possible.  Serve on buns with lettuce, spinach and/or tomato slices if desired!