Chances are you’re still hamming it up

I‘m just here for the ham.

Ham and cheese omelets, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, ham and cheese potatoes au gratin, you name it, ham’s a great leftover, and if you served it for Easter you’re probably still looking at a good-sized hunk in the fridge. Along with really good bacon, a fine ham is special, and it’s no coincidence that they both come from the same source.

I’ll let Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn expound on the pleasures of the pig, from “Charcuterie” (W.W. Norton, 2005): “Its belly is fantastic… the skin, if cooked long and slow, becomes succulent and delicious… the rendered fat of the pig is soft and pure and creamy. (The pig’s) ratio of fat to meat is culinary perfection… We’d like to make sure that one thing is understood here and now: The pig is king.”

And what is the best part of the porker? For many, it’s a dry-cured ham, hung and dried for months on end, resulting in the various delectables known by their place of origin: jambon cru from France, or jambon de Bayonne, if from the Basque region, and the well-known Italian prosciutto di Parma. However, as Peter Kaminsky writes in his ham-quest, “Perfect Pig” (Hyperion, 2005), “Iberian is the queen… It’s one of the great tastes in the world.”

The Ibérico pig, from the Andalusian region of Spain, is a black-hoofed oinker that fattens on acorns. During the winter months, when they’re chowing down on 15 to 20 pounds of them a day, each pig requires its own four-acre pasture to have an adequate supply, gaining as much as two pounds of daily goodness.

Ibérico hams aren’t available in the U.S., but that will change soon, and they’ll cost about $1,000 apiece when they do arrive. That’s way too high on the hog for me, unfortunately. (You can go to www.tienda.com to plunk down a $200 deposit to get on the waiting list.) Oh well, I’ve never had truffles or good caviar, either.

Getting back to leftover ham, I’m sure you noticed my heavy emphasis on cheese and fat, which I mentioned not to put you off, but simply because ham does pair beautifully with cheese. However, in case you’re aghast at the amount of food you tucked in for the Easter feast, I do have an alternative that makes good use of your pig with scarcely any fat at all. Here’s to spring:

Split Pea Soup with Ham

2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, washed, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced 1/4-inch crosswise

2 stalks celery, washed, sliced like carrots

2 roasted poblano peppers (see note)

3 small chili peppers, your choice, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound dried split peas, rinsed and drained

8 cups homemade chicken stock, divided

12 ounces leftover Easter ham, shredded or cubed (or meat from 2 medium, 1 pound ham hocks; see note)

1 tablespoon molasses

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or 1 tablespoon Bufalo brand chipotle hot sauce)

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

2 tablespoons tarragon, crushed between palms to release flavor

Juice from 1 large, fresh lime

Several dashes Tabasco, or fresh-cracked black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté onions until translucent, add carrots, celery and peppers, and continue to cook another 5 minutes or so, stirring frequently. Add the garlic in the last minute.

Add remaining ingredients, up to lime juice, reserving 2 cups of stock. Bring to a boil, simmer for one hour and add reserved stock or ham hock broth (see note), to taste and desired consistency. Bring back to boil and let simmer at least another half hour. (This is a soup that doesn’t mind being on the stove, so just simmer as long as you like, and dip in anytime.) Just before serving, add the lime juice and adjust seasonings.

Notes: To roast peppers: Blacken thoroughly (using a torch, broiler, burner, grill) and place in a tightly closed paper bag to steam for 20 minutes before peeling and seeding. If using ham hocks, simmer them in a separate pan, reserving a couple of cups the broth to add later, if desired, to taste.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate due to recipe variables.