Say aloha to Spam

By Emma Carew Grovum/Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

Minnesotans may have sampled Spam in more ways than others in the country, given that it comes from Austin, Minn., whether it's tossed into hot dish, deep-fried with cheese at the bar, or cut up into samples at the State Fair Spam-mobile.

But the true motherland for Spam is the Hawaiian Islands, where Spam has worked its way into the state's cooking since World War II, when it was served to members of the military stationed there. This year is the 75th anniversary of the canned meat product, introduced in 1937.

When I visited O'ahu and Kauai this fall, I got a taste of the local cuisine. Think Spam macadamia nuts, with a salty, porky powder coating on the nuts.

Then there was Spam grilled, as a side dish to almost everything. Or wrapped around a pillow of rice with seaweed paper, like sushi, and called musubi. It's sold like hot dogs are on the mainland, in little warmers at the convenience stores for a dollar or two, though there were also small cafes dedicated solely to producing a variety of musubi. President Obama has been spotted eating them on vacations.

Spam is part of breakfast, too, as a substitute to bacon or sausage, whether at Eggs ‘N' Things in Waikiki, or at McDonald's, with its Spam and egg plates. It's as common as ordering bacon.

I bought a musubi press at one of the cafes so I could make them at home. The key to preparing the bundles is to have the rice really sticky so it's easier to shape.

The musubi don't keep well in the refrigerator because the rice gets too hard. If you do want to save and reheat them, do so in a warm, but not too hot, oven or toaster oven until warmed through.

Spam Musubi

Makes 8 to 10.

Note: Nori is dried seaweed; find it in your supermarket's Asian section. Furikake seasoning is made of dried fish and more; find it at Asian specialty stores. This recipe uses a musubi press (ranges in price from $2.50 to $11 on Amazon; see nwww.startribune.com/a886). But you could try anything with a small, rectangular well (about 2 inches by 4 inches, like a butter dish). You can also shape the rice with your palms; just wet them first to keep the rice from sticking. I like to use Kokuho Rose brand rice. From “Hawai'i Cooks With Spam,” by Muriel Miura.

2 c. short-grain sushi-style rice, uncooked

1 (12-oz.) can Spam, cut lengthwise into 1/2-in. slices

1 to 2 tsp. sugar

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tsp. black pepper

3 to 4 sheets nori, each sheet cut into thirds (see Note)

Furikake seasoning, optional (see Note)

Directions:

Cook the rice according to package directions (about 1 cup rice to 1 1/4 cups water), either in a rice cooker or on the stovetop. Set aside cooked rice.

While the rice is cooking, fry the Spam slices in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes on each side. Set aside.

In a small pan, dissolve the sugar into the vinegar. Pour over the cooked rice and thoroughly combine to season the rice.

Lay one piece of nori shiny side down horizontally and set the musubi mold down vertically in the center.

Add about 1/4 cup cooked rice into the musubi mold and layer

1 piece of Spam, then another 1/4 cup rice.

Use the press to push down and shape the rice and meat together, then pull up to remove the mold. Press together again.

If you're using the furikake seasoning, sprinkle it on top of rice, then pull up both sides of the nori and wrap the rice completely. You may want to press a few grains of rice on one side to help “seal” your little bundle. Repeat until you run out of rice or Spam.

Nutrition information per each of 10 servings:

Calories: 180; Fat: 10 g; Sodium: 450 mg; Carbohydrates: 15 g; Saturated fat: 4 g; Calcium: 7 mg; Protein: 6 g; Cholesterol: 21 mg; Dietary fiber: 1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/starch, 1/2 high-fat meat, 1 fat.

Minnesota Spam Breakfast Pie

Serves 8.

Note: This won first place at last year's Minnesota State Fair and is a finalist in the Great American Spam Championship. From Megan Turak of Minneapolis.

2 3/4 c. flour

1 1/2 sticks (6 oz.) butter

4 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Pinch salt and pepper

2 egg yolks, divided

4 to 6 tbsp. chilled water

1 (12 oz.) can Spam, cut into 1/2-in. slices

8 oz. cream cheese, softened, cubed

1/3 small onion, chopped

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

Measure out flour into a chilled bowl and rub in butter until the mixture has the appearance of bread crumbs.

In a separate bowl, mix the cheese, salt, pepper, 1 egg yolk, and

4 tablespoons water. Add to the flour mixture, adding up to 2 additional tablespoons water if necessary, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish. Roll out chilled dough to slightly less than 1/4 inch thick, to make

2 pie crusts. Cover the bottom of the pie dish with 1 crust; save second for later.

Place Spam on pie crust. Spread the cream cheese over the Spam. Sprinkle onions over the cream cheese. Add the beaten eggs.

Cover with the second pie crust and seal edges. Use any extra dough for decorating top of pie. Brush the crust with the remaining egg yolk. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Nutrition information per each of 8 servings:

Calories: 810; Fat: 66 g; Sodium: 1,085 mg; Carbohydrates: 36 g; Saturated fat: 36 g; Calcium: 140 mg; Protein. 19 g; Cholesterol: 302 mg; Dietary fiber: 1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 bread/starch, 1/2 other carb, 2 high-fat meat, 10 fat.

Sam Choy's Pineapple Spam

Serves 3 to 4.

Note: From “Hawai'i Cooks With Spam,” by Muriel Miura. 

1 (12-oz.) can Spam, cubed

1 c. pineapple, cubed

1/2 c. soy sauce

Sliced ginger root to taste

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. pineapple juice

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the cubed Spam, pineapple, soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar and pineapple juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and heat through.

Nutrition information per each of 4 servings:

Calories: 480 Fat. 26 g Sodium: 2,905 mg; Carbohydrates: 50 g Saturated fat: 9 g Calcium: 51 mg; Protein: 13 g; Cholesterol: 53 mg; Dietary fiber: 1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1/2 fruit, 3 other carb, 2 high-fat meat, 2 fat.

Island Spam

Serves 4.

Note: This recipe is from Hawai'i's Spam Jam, which is held annually in Waikiki.

1 (12-oz.) can Spam, cubed

1 chopped onion

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 1/2 c. water

1 c. uncooked white rice

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

1 bay leaf, finely crushed

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Ground red pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet, lightly brown Spam, onion and garlic. Stir in water, rice, parsley, bay leaf and black pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until rice is cooked. Sprinkle with red pepper before serving.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories: 470; Fat. 26 g; Sodium: 1,103 mg; Carbohydrates: 42 g; Saturated fat: 9 g; Calcium: 31 mg; Protein. 15 g Cholesterol. 53 mg; Dietary fiber: 1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/starch, 2 carb, 2 high-fat meat, 2 fat.

Spam Caramel Rolls

Makes 8.

Note: This won first place at last year's Minnesota State Fair and is a finalist in the Great American Spam Championship kids competition. From Ben Schliemann, age 8, of Minneapolis. 

1 (8-oz.) can refrigerated crescent rolls

1 (12-oz.) can Spam, cubed

1 stick (4 oz.) butter

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 (3-oz.) pkg. vanilla pudding (not instant)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Separate the crescent rolls into 8 triangles. Put some Spam on each of the 8 rolls. Roll up each crescent, ending at tip of triangle. Put rolls in a baking pan.

Place the butter, brown sugar and dry pudding mix in a saucepan and melt. Bring to a boil; pour over rolls.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 430 Fat. 29 g Sodium: 1,014 mg; Carbohydrates: 36 g; Saturated fat: 13 g; Calcium: 33 mg; Protein: 8 g; Cholesterol: 57 mg; Dietary fiber. 0 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/starch, 1 1/2 other carb, 1 high-fat meat, 4 fat.