Vegetarian Stuffed “Ham”

I decided to do something a little different for my first post about Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham. Maybe something a little controversial.

There’s a lot of information to read about “Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham” out there on the internet and I don’t have too much to add. I have tried most of the ham providers commonly listed in these articles and they are all pretty good. Most recently I enjoyed some wonderfully spicy and tender stuffed ham from Chaptico market.

I have noticed, through a quick newspaper search, as well as the recipes in “Eat, Drink & Be Merry in Maryland” that stuffed ham’s popularity once spread beyond its known home of Southern Maryland (not counting other regional stuffed ham types throughout the South.) Stuffed ham Southern Maryland style was made and served well into Western Maryland.

I can only assume that its decline in popularity had to do with the effort involved in making it, and maybe a shift in availability of different types of cured hams. Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham involves what differing recipes will call a “brined ham,” “country ham,” or “corned ham.” This is a very salty and not smoky or excessively sweet way of curing ham.*

Now, why a vegetarian ham? Mostly for the fun of it. But I’ll pontificate a bit:

I am not religious but I think that the concept of ‘saying grace’ as I once knew it should not be a lost art. Whether this is an articulated moment involving religious beliefs, or a silent secular ‘thanks’ and acknowledgement of what we are fortunate to have, I think that embarking on the act of eating is an ideal time to express ‘gratitude.’

This can mean so many things that it is overwhelming. We may thank the people who harvested the crops that are grown for us. We may reflect on the complex and often painful history that put American (& Southern, & Maryland…) food as we know it into our lives. We can contemplate the life of the animal that is now on our table. We can also consider the environmental costs of what we eat and enjoy.

Whether an animal life has meaning to you, there is growing evidence about the effects that our levels of meat consumption are having on the environment.
Having come of age in a bit of a punk/d.i.y. ethos, none of this is new to me, so I’ve had lots of time to process these moral conflicts. That is not to say I’ve come to total peace or resolution. After decades of thought, I am okay with admitting that I remain conflicted. For the time being, that means eating less meat when possible.

I came up with this recipe as an amalgam of seitan ‘ham’ recipes on the web. I really enjoyed it but I could be biased with a weird nostalgia for a time when vegetarian meats were a little less palatable than they are these days.

My favorite way to serve meat-ful stuffed ham is in a white-bread sandwich with mayonnaise. That is the probably best way to enjoy this seitan version, which is a little dry on its own. When I added some mayonnaise-based, celery-seed & black pepper coleslaw (not pictured) this became a really standout sandwich. The seasonings from the coleslaw already being a part of the stuffing, I figured it just made sense.

We had some kale on hand and used it for the stuffing, but I think this would be good with mustard greens. Any greens can be used, however. It would also probably be amazing with Bryant Terrys spicy mustard green harissa. The options are endless.

Anyway here is some background on Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham:

Places to get Stuffed Ham:

Murphy’s Town & Country – 21270 Abell Road, Avenue
Raley’s Town and Country – 13270 Point Lookout Rd, Ridge
Chaptico Market – 25466 Maddox Road, Chaptico
St. Mary’s Landing – Route 5, Charlotte Hall
WJ Dent – 44584 Tall Timbers Rd, Tall Timbers
McKays – (multiple locations)

Recipe:
Seitan “ham” loaves (makes 2):

3 cups vital wheat gluten
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp smoked paprika
1.5 white pepper
2 tb liquid smoke
4 tb grade A maple syrup
.5 tsp Maggi seasoning (or use some Braggs Amino Acids)
3 cups veg broth, divided

Mix together all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together liquid smoke, maple syrup, Maggi and 2.5 cups of vegetable stock. Working quickly, fold liquids into dry ingredients. The gluten will quickly absorb the liquid and start to become… gluten-like. Knead the dough for about 2 minutes.
Form two loaves and placed in well-greased slow cooker. Remember, this grease is the primary source of fat in your ‘ham.’ Cover with remaining stock. Cook on low for 2 hours then turn to high & cook for another three hours.
Remove and let cool.

Stuffing:

2 cups kale
1 tb red pepper (or more to taste)
.25 cup chives/onions/etc
2 tb parsley
½ tsp celery seed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
hot sauce (optional)
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350°. Finely chop all ingredients & mix well with lemon juice and hot sauce. Cut slits into each “ham” and stuff them full of the mixture. Cover with any additional stuffing. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

Recipe notes:

*As you can see, despite what has been said about the country hams for stuffing, I did use liquid smoke and smoked paprika to flavor the seitan. I felt that the flavoring was needed. An interesting option later occured to me: black salt. Available in Indian grocery stores, this very sulphery salt might impart a bit of a cured flavor. I’d use that for the salt and omit the liquid smoke. If you try this, do tell me how it is!

-The variable baking time is a matter of preference. The greens will begin to cook but the outside of the seitan loaf will begin to toughen as well – especially parts that are not covered with stuffing. If you are working with tough greens or you like your greens well cooked, you could always blanch them before making the stuffing.