Ham Steak: As Old-school as It Gets

Not quite as good as my mother's, but it was good

My mother rarely ever cooks. This is ironic as she is an amazing cook and some of the recipes I've worked on over the years are either hers or inspired by dishes she has cooked for our family on those rare occasions whenever she chose to get busy in the kitchen.

Old-school ham steaks, thick-cut slabs of cured pork, were among our favourites when we were much younger. Mom would pan-grill the ham, then grab a tin of pineapple titbits or crushed pineapple from the pantry cabinet. The tin would be drained and the pineapple set aside; some brown sugar - just a teaspoon - would be stirred into the drained juice or syrup. The fortified syrup would then be poured into a pan where a sliced onion was sauteed with the ham drippings and a knob of butter. Once the syrup began to boil, the cooked ham and the reserved pineapple would be put in; the heat brought down to medium low and the dish left to simmer for about five minutes.

When I was a kid, the cooked ham steaks would be served alongside some steamed rice and buttered corn. These days, we still eat them with rice, but the corn has been swapped out in favour of a good salad or, in colder weather, a thick and rich minestrone cooked from scratch.

My take on my Mom's classic is also slightly different, and a bit upscale. In the Eighties', our ham steaks were bought from the supermarket as one local purveyor used to sell them in packs of four. Nowadays, that brand no longer sells ham steaks, so I needed to buy mine from Earle's Delicatessen which also makes the fine bacon that graces our breakfast table, as well as excellent sandwiches from their deli counter. While they are thinner than the ham steaks I remember, they are nevertheless good and savoury: just salty enough to add a balance to the tart sweetness of the pineapple, and so satisfying for dinner on a chilly night.