Having been hatched smack dab in the middle of beef country (Texas Panhandle), we grew up thinking that ‘pork’ consisted solely of grocery store bacon in plastic packages, Jimmy Dean sausage and the rare sighting of a baby back rib when the brisket was running low at the BBQ joint in town.
Ashamedly it really probably wasn’t until the ingenious advertising campaign in 1987 hawking “Pork. The Other White Meat” that we actually discovered, through the thoughtful guidance of Southern friends training in SLC, the wonders of slow cooked pork belly, freshly thick-sliced artisanal bacon, thick-cut, bone-in pork chops on the grill, pork tenderloin still juicy and pink in the middle…I could go on and on.
Despite the relative disadvantage of our Texas roots with regard to pork, we’ve been ardent devotees of Mr. Pig ever since.
So when a neighbor asked if we wanted a piece of a full Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Ham he’d been gifted for Christmas, I jumped at the chance.
Pork snobs can gush on about the merits of fine Italian prosciutto till the cows come home; we’ll stack an artisanal, dry-cured American country ham up against it any day.
We’ve been shaving slices off our gift and savoring like a fine wine; a friend enviously suggested this version of Country Green Eggs and Ham a few days ago.
Move over Eggs Benedict, there’s a new boss hog in town.
2 English muffins or sourdough toast
4 thin slices artisanal ham, we used Benton’s, though Black Forest would play well
4 tbsp. butter
4 large eggs
4-5 tbsp. smooth pesto (fresh is best)
Himalayan pink salt and fresh ground pepper
Toast it. Split the English muffins and toast as desired; top each half with a thin slice of the country ham. Spoon 4 or 5 tbsp. of pesto out into a small cup to come to room temp.
Egg it. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan; use lower heat so it doesn’t crackle or froth. Crack the eggs in, giving them room so they don’t touch. Cook over low heat until the whites are set; now spoon some of that glorious butter over the top of the eggs – over the yolks – to set the outermost layer but keep the yolks soft and runny. When done to your liking, place an egg atop each muffin.
Pesto it. Now dollop a generous tbsp. of pesto atop each egg and go to it while the egg is still warm and the yolk silky. Serves two and you’ll probably want to make another batch as soon as you devour these.
Enjoy.
