Ham With Lemon-Butter Chestnut Tomato and Mushroom Sauce

I love ham, but we don’t eat it all that often, because usually when I buy a ham, I buy a HUGE ham and we serve it for holidays and/or special occasions. Every now and then though, I just get a hankering for it and buy a smaller ham. That’s what I did this time. You know I couldn’t just serve it plain. Of course I doctored it up and served it with a delicious sauce. The sauce was the perfect accompaniment for both the ham and the asparagus, so it was a delicious two-for-one sauce. My kind of sauce!

My ham was just a ham, but it was the sauce that made it special. Once again, I had a recipe, but I just kept adding to it and improving as I went along. The tomatoes and mushrooms were a last minute addition, as was the lemon balsamic vinegar. This sauce would go well with any kind of pork or ham as well as with chicken, and as you can see, asparagus too. It is a light and tasty versatile sauce.

Lemon-Butter Chestnut and Tomato Sauce

2 TBSP olive oil

1-2 TBSP lemon olive oil, optional

salt & ground black pepper to taste

8 TBSP butter

1 TBSP garlic

1/2 cup peeled and roasted chestnuts

3 TBSP fresh basil, chiffonade

1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced small

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 TBSP lemon balsamic vinegar, optional

In a hot skillet, add the oils and butter, then add the chestnuts, mushrooms, garlic and seasonings. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring often.

Add the tomatoes, basil, lemon juice and lemon balsamic vinegar and continue to cook just until everything is heated, about 1-2 more minutes.

When it is ready, serve it over your favorite meats and/or vegetables and enjoy. Once again, I am proving that things don’t need to be complicated to be good. Often times, the KISS rule – Keep It Simple (Stupid), or some other kinder versions, Keep It Super Simple or Keep it Simple and Smart, is the best rule. 🙂

Have a great day Everyone. Stay warm, stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.