When I was a kid, ham steaks with pineapple and cheese for dinner were a rare treat. So when I saw them on special recently at the supermarket I felt a nostalgic urge to buy them. Alas, it seems my kids were not touched by the same sense of occasion that used to overcome me on ‘ham steaks night’ and so I was left with two out of a packet of three steaks uneaten.
Knowing that half the battle in getting kids to eat is how you spin the story, I decided to repackage one of them as ‘Peppa Pig’. (The macabre irony of making a cheery replica of Peppa with one of her fallen kin was not lost on me but I’m banking that it flew under my 3 year-old’s radar.)
Unsurprisingly, the humble ham steak was received with much more enthusiasm in its reincarnated form as Peppa Pig.
What you will need:
- one ham steak
- a frypan
- a sharp knife
- a slice of salami
- a slice of cheese
- two currants
- a sliver of olive
- barbecue or tomato sauce
- a chopstick or similar to ‘paint’ sauce on with
- baking paper
- a texta
Method:
1. To get something vaguely resembling the wacky shape that is Peppa Pig’s head, draw it onto some baking paper until you have a version you’re happy with. Use a knife to trace around this template on the ham steak.
2. Take the cheese and cut some some small circles out for the base of the eyes. Place a small currant on top of each of the circles. Next, cut some boots out of the cheese.
3. Cut across the bottom of a slice of the salami to make Peppa’s dress.
4. Lightly fry the ham steak head, taking care not to burn it (you want it to be just lightly browned so you can still see the facial features).
5. Lay the dress and boots out on a plate.
6. Once the ham steaks have cooled a little, put the eyes in place. Then, using a chopstick and some barbecue or tomato sauce, draw the outline of the nose and Peppa’s rosy cheek. Finish the face off with a thin sliver of olive for the mouth.
7. Cut a couple of thin strips off the ham steak for Peppa’s arms.
