Spam and gnocchi w/sauteed onions in BBQ sauce

[DJ Davis]

I know...this is going to run the gamut from curiosity to gagging (for some) to a possible international incident. Please hear me out before anyone calls The Department of State.

I'm not a big fan of Spam, however I was intrigued by the Hickory Smoke version and wanted to give it a try, but not by itself. So, on our last camping excursion I brought along about 3/4 cup of chopped onions in a ziploc baggie and some fast-food BBQ sauce packets to add to this "unusual pairing" of Americana and Old World.

Prep: While the gnocchi were readied (heating the water then boiling the gnocchi for the prescribed three minutes), my wife cubed the Spam into 1/2" pieces and I sauteed the onions. The gnocchi were drained, the Spam and onions added to the pot used to boil the gnocchi, then the BBQ sauce packets last. The residual heat from boiling the gnocchi was enough to warm the Spam, onions, and sauce, but a colder day might necessitate a bit more time on a burner.

Opinion: Nothing spectacular, but inexpensive, travels well, and is relatively easy to prepare. For those trying to conserve fuel, the gnocchi are a good alternative to noodles as the cooking time is less than half of what it takes to boil pasta. The wife wants to try the gnocchi with chicken and some Alfredo sauce next time.

So there you have it...Spam, gnocchi, sauteed onions, and BBQ sauce. Would someone please tell those Vikings to SHUT UP!!!

***For those who follow the tearjerkers website, I posted this there, too.***

 

[NevadaBlue]

If fuel and a little more time are available, brown the spam cubes first, then mix them in.
Yum!

 

[rjgimp]

If fuel and a little more time are available, brown the spam cubes first, then mix them in.
Yum!

Oh absolutely! Those little cubes belonged in the saute pan with the onions.

 

[GTS225-TNT]

I'm not a big fan of most BBQ sauces, but the title header alone got me to thinking an Alfredo sauce would be the ticket. Your wife's idea of chicken and Alfredo sounds pretty darn good, too.
Now, the idea of browning the spam with the sauteed onions does sound quite a bit better then just warming them with the gnocchi.

Roger

 

[DJ Davis]

Well...duh... I completely forgot I did throw them in to brown the cubes when I sauteed the onions. Once again proof that when you get older, the first thing that goes is your...uh, your...ummm...where are my pants...?

 

[rjgimp]

Once again proof that when you get older, the first thing that goes is...?

What...?

 

[DJ Davis]

Roger,

Yes, I'm a big fan of Alfredo sauce, too, but thought the Hickory smoke flavor would pair well with the BBQ sauce. I think it did.

Now...as for trying the gnocchi with Alfredo sauce, the "test kitchen" was open this weekend. I had half a jar of my favorite brand that I needed to use up, so I dumped that in a skillet, "washed" the jar out with about 2/3 cup of milk, added the gnocchi and stirred until it was just to the point of simmering before adding the canned chicken. I think I should've followed my own advice from my previous message (warm the sauce before adding the gnocchi), because the gnocchi were a bit soft. But that "mistake" gave me another idea to try - chicken and (gnocchi) dumplings. My next "evil scientist in the kitchen" experiment will be to simmer the gnocchi in a can of cream of chicken soup diluted with milk to get to that soft stage I "accidentally" discovered, then add chicken. I'll let ya know how that comes out when I get around to being allowed to play in the wife's kitchen.

DJ

 

[GTS225-TNT]

Well, I typically use Cookies original, when I use sauces.
But yes, please keep us in the loop with your results.
Might come in handy for me, now that the wife is gone.
(I'm still learning to shop and cook for one.)

Roger

 

[swoody126]

sw

 

[DJ Davis]

Re" swoody126

...ouch...that's kinda harsh, doncha think...? I didn't think this was a Cooking Show forum. I'd hoped my descriptions of my "experiments" were adequate enough for someone to duplicate if they chose. As for any saved pics I have, this forum won't let me load them directly from my folder. It says they're too large. I'm very low tech when it comes to electronics, so I haven't learned how to reduce their size yet.

DJ

 

[swoody126]

DJ, i too suffer the size issue w/ this forum

butt

I LOVE PICS

sw