Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam...

No, not *that* kind...

 
This past weekend, I had something that I didn't even know existed. It was two things you would never expect to go together, but worked pretty well.

It was a Spam sushi roll.

Spam, rice and seaweed tastes surprisingly good when dipped in soy sauce.  My husband got the recipe from a site with a lot of Hawaiian recipes. Believe it or not, Spam is extremely popular there and on a lot of Pacific islands. In the years during and after WWII, a very large amount of Spam was sent there because it was very difficult to get fresh meat to the soldiers.  Canned, already-cooked Spam was a good way to get shelf-stable food where it was needed. Since then, it's been incorporated in a ton of restaurant and 'home-style' recipes. It's very popular on the 'mainland' too, although it's sometimes looked down upon as being 'poor people food' because it's so inexpensive. Personally, I could care less if they don't like it; that just leaves more for me! The fact that there are several varieties-including Lite, Bacon, Oven-Roasted Turkey, etc.-just makes it better.  Without further ado, here are some of the most, um, interesting Spam recipes I've found.

Spam Pizza Burgers
12 oz (1 can) Spam precooked luncheon meat
15 oz (1 can) no-bean chilli
4 split hamburger buns
2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a cheese grater, grate the Spam into a medium-sized bowl. Then, stir in the cheese and chili. Spread it onto each bun half with a fork and bake for 8-10 minutes.

And now for something completely different...

Spam And Cheese Calzone
2 13.8-oz cans refrigerated pizza crust dough
2 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded
1 12-oz can Spam with Bacon, diced
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp stoneground mustard
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 F. Using a large bowl, combine the onion, jalepeno, Spam w/Bacon, mayo, mustard and 1 cup of the shredded Colby Jack cheese. Stir until well mixed.

Now, take a 15"x10"x1" jelly-roll pan and brush it with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Then, unroll one of the cans of dough and cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese within 1" of the edge. Add the Spam mixture. Using the other can of dough, stretch it over the filling and shape to meet the edges of the dough on the bottom. Push the edges of the dough together to seal. Brush with te rest of the oil.

Now, bake the calzone for 14-16 minutes, or until golden brown.Take it out and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake for another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Cut and serve.


For even more yummy Spam recipes, visit http://www.spam.com/. Here you can find new uses for Spam, buy 'gear' and learn more about Spam than you ever wanted to know.  There's even a Spam museum in Minnesota, complete with a tribute to Monty Python. So, not only have I given you tasty ways to use canned meat, I've also given you an idea for this year's vacation. :) Have fun, and don't forget your Spam flip-flops. :)