Spam... And Not the Email Kind

For those of you who are unaware of the fact, Bruce is and has always been Spam's biggest fan, this blog is about his life long obsession with this mystery meat in a can.
Bruce has for as long as I have known him waxed poetic on the virtues of what I had always considered dog food in a can for humans.
My Father bought Spam and Klik and other similar knockoffs when my brothers and I were young and I believe he was the only one of us to actually eat it. I wonder why?
Our good friend Mike D always found it amusing that Bruce enjoyed and talked about Spam so much and so for a few Christmases he would wrap up a couple of cans for Bruce as a gag gift but little did he know that Bruce treasured those cans of Spam more than any other gift he received.

Last evening in honor of Bruce I decided to make him a Spam dinner and went in search of Spam recipes on the internet. I was amazed at how many sites there are and how many different recipes I found. I decided on a Spam stir fry which was actually easy and quick to prepare and had such a nice tang it mercifully covered up the taste of the Spam. And I found I didn't mind it at all. Shhhh... don't tell Bruce!

In these tough economic times one must do what they can to cook with a financial conscience. I expect that we will be able to avoid the food bank for many years to come as long as we continue to cook with these incredibly versatile and inexpensive staples such as Spam.

I forgot to take a picture of the meal in the pan before I served it up and instead took the photo after supper when there wasn't much left. It looked much prettier full in the pan. Here is the recipe I used........................

Cantonese Sweet and Sour Spam Recipe

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large carrot, sliced diagonally
6 green onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small cucumber, cut in chunks
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons catsup
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 (12 ounce) can Spam, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained
In wok or large skillet, cook oil over medium heat. Add carrot, green onion, garlic and cucumber. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisply tender (4 to 5 minutes).
Add remaining ingredients except SPAM and bamboo shoots. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened (5 to 6 minutes).
Add SPAM and bamboo shoots. Cook over medium heat until heated through (4 to 5 minutes).
Serve over rice.

I made a few changes to the recipe. I had no green onions so I used a whole onion chopped. I had no can of bamboo shoots. I added in some yellow peppers and some red cabbage. I also omitted the cucumber.

Next Spam meal I will be preparing is ..... Spambalaya!!!! Don't everybody knock down the door that night cause we ain't sharing.