During World War II, there was rationing, including some types of meat, like beef. Since we lived on a small farm, we usually had pigs, chickens, and a few ducks, but no cows. My father would trade pork and chicken with a friend for beef. We grew and canned veggies and grew potatoes.
My mother did the cooking, while my father did the food shopping. One evening, after work, he came home with groceries. Among the items was a strange-looking can. It was unrationed SPAM. We had it for dinner. It didn’t taste like anything we had ever eaten. But we liked it. After the war, we didn’t have it very often. As I grew up and was on my own, I didn’t eat it since it was too processed for me.
In the last few years, I buy SPAM occasionally for us to eat in sandwiches. Recently, Patti suggested sauteing it crisp, then adding cheese on a slider roll. It was delicious! We won’t have it often because it still is too processed. But when we do, that’s the way I’ll prepare it. Here’s my recipe.
2 slices of SPAM, cut ¼-inch thick
2 slices of your favorite cheese
2 Martin’s slider rolls, cut in half
Mayonnaise spread on roll halves
Put olive oil in a skillet. Heat to medium hot. You want to fry the slices crisp. Place cheese on top half of the rolls after mayo. Turn the SPAM often enough to prevent burning but cook slices until crisp. When ready, put a slice on the cheese, close the sandwich, and enjoy! This recipe is for two but can be expanded easily.
If you decide to try this, there now are several different varieties of SPAM. I bought the turkey one.
Enjoy and be safe!
If you have suggestions or questions for this column, please contact me directly at guthrielarason@verizon.net.
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