No, not the endless stream of emails about cut-price Viagra, making yourself utterly irresistible in bed or requests for donations to dodgy Nigerian banks but the luncheon meat variety which is apparently undergoing a massive boom as a result of the economic downturn.
According to the Independent on Sunday yesterday sales are up 10% in the States which is a lot of extra Spam.
Actually Spam isn't that cheap. I checked in Somerfield yesterday and it was £1.86 for a 340g can compared to only £1.47 for 340g of corned beef. You can buy a pound of sausages for that which are rather nicer to eat cold.
Is there anything tasty you can make with Spam? Well, there are certainly plenty of suggestions on the Spam website including (eeeurgh) Spam fritters, Spam Rogan Josh, Spam Tempura, deep Spam pizza and the Spambalaya recipe submitted to the Official Spam Cook of the Year competition by Phil of Oxon.
My own suggestion would be to cut it into thin strips (rather than cubes) and toss it in a mustardy vinaigrette together with some finely chopped onion, gherkins and parsley - a bit like the French salade de museau (which rather unattractively translates as muzzle salad)
Do you - would you - eat Spam? And if so how do/would you prepare it?
Would I eat Spam? NO! And I see no reason to subject my children to eating it either.
ReplyDeleteIn my considered opinion, Spam and tofu are inventions of the devil and have no place in my kitchen.
Hmmm. Not so sure about tofu. I grew to quite like it when I was writing a veggie cookbook. Better than Spam anyway ;-)
ReplyDeleteAt least Tofu doesn't need to have "Caution: May contain meat" on it. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhenever I check the Spam folder on my Google mail account, there is an adwords recipe for Spam at the top of the folder. I always giggle when I see it.
While writing this comment, I checked the folder. Apparently Spam Imperial Tortilla Sandwiches are all the rage. For your viewing pleasure, here is the link:
Spam Tortilla Sandwiches
Enjoy!
Aaargh! Only got as far as 'combine Spam and cream cheese'. Truly horrible.
ReplyDeleteHmmm....Spam.
ReplyDeleteSort of the Marmite of the meat world. I would/do eat Spam, but haven't for ages!
My favourite was always cut into cubes and fried along with cubed (previously boiled/leftover) potatoes and finely diced onion. A bit of salt and pepper and you're good to go!
Can just about see the virtue of that kadeeae with a LOT of onion and potato - so that you barely notice the Spam ;-)
ReplyDeleteMarmite's another matter though. Much more appealing, to me at any rate. Ever tried it on crumpets?
i grew up in the philippines, a country with a very strong american influence and where spam was consumed in large amounts (when i was a child in the 70s) without any fears for one's health. my favourite spam dish is spamsilog, which is cubed spam with fried egg and rice. it's very fattening, and one that i haven't dared serve my own kids. in fact, i have never served spam to any of my family here in the uk, although i still secretly cook and eat spamsilog when i feel nostalgic for my country and my childhood. :)
ReplyDeleteFunny how these childhood treats still have us in thrall, jd. I still like eggs mushed up with soft butter and breadcrumbs in a cup which is what my mum used to give me when I was poorly.
ReplyDeleteI suspect I might actually like spamsilog. Better not try it . . .