IT'S SPAGHETTI HAMONARA TIME.

A no-brainer dinner for that between-the-flags time from Christmas to New Year.

If you still have some ham in the fridge (of course you do, it’s never-ending), then allow me to remind you of this creamy, cheesy pasta carbonara that swaps out the traditional guanciale or bacon for chopped leg ham.

Because who doesn’t love spaghetti carbonara?

And because ham eaten during the week after Christmas Day tastes better than ham on Christmas Day.

And because if there is any more turkey, you’ll go nuts.

And because it’s just such a great way to use up left-over ham - just toss with spaghetti, eggs and parmigiano, find a random thing to drink, and enjoy.

SPAGHETTI HAMONARA

• 250 g ham off the bone

• 300 g spaghetti, more if hungry

• 2 whole large eggs and 2 egg yolks

• 100 g grated parmigiano

• Sea salt

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp freshly cracked black peppercorns

• Extra pepper and flat-leaf parsley leaves for serving

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling, well-salted water until al dente (start testing at 8 minutes).

Get everything else ready, because when the pasta is cooked, it’s go-go-go.

Thickly slice the ham and shred (sort of push-cut on an angle with a knife) into small, bite-sized pieces.

Whisk the whole eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl.

Whisk in sea salt, pepper and all but 1 tablespoon of the cheese.

 Heat the oil and fry the ham briskly until crisped at the edges.

Drain the spaghetti (saving half a cup of the pasta water) and add immediately to the ham, tossing well to coat.

Tip the spaghetti and ham into the egg mixture and toss furiously until well-combined, letting the heat of the pasta ‘cook’ the eggs into a cheesy, almost creamy, sauce.

Add a slosh or two of the pasta cooking water as you toss, to lighten the sauce.

Serve immediately on warm plates and scatter with remaining cheese and extra black pepper. Serves 4.

Tip: The reason you tip the ham and spaghetti from the hot pan into the bowl of egg mixture and not the other way around, is because there is a danger the egg would cook in the heat of the pan and become somewhat scrambled. Just make sure the ham and spaghetti are super-hot when they hit the egg and toss furiously to coat, checking that the pasta has picked up and absorbed any egg mixture lurking at the base. It also helps to use the fatty bits of the ham, to get some of that lovely oiliness in there.

This recipe first appeared on Good Food Kitchen hosted by Adam Liaw, and here’s a clip of the very rizzy* Brooke Boney and I putting it together. People tell me they have turned ‘spag ham’ into their new Christmas season go-to, which is just fabulous.

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Can’t be bothered boiling spaghetti? ( I hear ya). Then here’s a toastie from last year’s blog that you can do without over-thinking anything.

HAM AND CHEESE TOASTY WITH MUSTARD FRUITS

Ham off the bone, mustard, melting gruyere and oozy mozzarella – with the Christmassy inclusion of Italian mustard fruits, with their tempered syrupy sweetness. Or swap it out for pickles or a fruity chutney.

• 2 slices sourdough bread

• 4 slices comte or gruyere or vintage cheddar

• 2 to 6 slices Christmas ham

• Dijon mustard

• 50 g mozzarella, drained, sliced

• 1 tbsp mustard fruits in syrup, chopped

Heat the sandwich press.

Spread one slice of bread lightly with butter, and the other with Dijon mustard.

Layer one slice with gruyere, then ham, then mustard fruits.

Layer the other slice with mozzarella, sea salt and pepper.

Sandwich together and press down lightly.

Cook for 4 minutes in the sandwich press or until the toast is golden brown and knock-knock hard and the cheese is oozing out the sides.

Cut in half and serve hot. Makes one.

In further, non-ham-related news, Jill Dupleix Eats turns three!

I started this blog/newsletter/thingy as a way of keeping connected with like-minded (food-loving) people during the first pandemic lockdown. Had no idea what I was doing, but liked very much that this platform was set up by journalists for journalists as a new and different way to tell their stories. It has been a constant source of joy for since the first post on New Year’s Eve, 2020, which somehow made its way out into the world and earned itself one like, 203 views and 7 free subscribers. 

Right now, it has 4,980 subscribers, with 20 to go before it hits the big 5000. (Stats are the crack cocaine of the Substack world. I shouldn’t keep checking them, but it feels so good).

That makes Jill Dupleix Eats 3 years old this week. With my frankly insane commitment to never miss a Thursday, this post is my 157^th, good grief.

It’s the gig I have as a break from my other gigs, and as much as I adore writing for the AFR Magazine, quarterly Fin! Magazine, Life & Leisure, and my old friend Good Food, this is the one that makes me as happy as a clam. So thanks for being a part of it, whether you are a founding subscriber, or have dropped by recently to click subscribe.

And special thanks to Terry for the support; whether it is physical, emotional or whatever it is you call a glass of wine at just the right time. Happy new year, everyone, and make it a rizzy* one. Thanks, J.

*Riz is short for charisma, and is the Oxford Word of The Year. Terry has it, as you can see.

Thanks to Nikki To of Buffet Digital for the extra riz*

I would also like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters upon which I work, live, cook and play; the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and pay my respects to Elders past and present, and to the continuing strength and resilience of First Nations people, communities and cultures.