I’d lived on Laughing Cow cheese and Saltines for nearly a week, passing plates of mysterious substances for something I could easily identify. I was accompanying a team of doctors and nurses on a medical mission trip, and we had sent money ahead so the orphanage hosting us could purchase supplies to feed us during our stay. They did an excellent job serving us and had even splurged on lots of Spam, a delicacy for most in that area.
I wasn’t a vegetarian at that time, by any means, but my years of working in a butcher shop gave me an aversion to any kind of processed or potted meat. I respectfully and quietly passed the plate of Spam every time it was served, but my team members noticed and began to worry I wasn’t getting good nutrition for the laborious days of medical clinics. I told them that I would have to be starving or not know where my next meal was coming from to eat Spam, but if it came to that, I would do it.
But I’d forgotten my cardinal travel food: dried prunes, and by the end of the week my gut needed something besides cheese and crackers. On the final night, the cook emerged from the kitchen with a plate of steaming cornmeal dressing balls. My mouth started salivating at the thought of something new and different and warm.
I modestly added two to my plate and devoured them before the platter circled the table. “Finally,” I gushed, “these are so amazing.”
I added more. Then more. Making a complete fool out of myself as I gulped them down. And the entire time, I raved about how delicious the dressing balls were.
“What are these made of?” My teammate asked, as the cook entered the dining room again.
“Oh, they’re Spam balls,” she replied. She was creatively using up the leftovers as we prepared for our departure the next day. She didn’t know that I had quietly passed up the Spam the entire week, but the rest of the team could hardly hold their composure at the joke on me.
Humbled, I gathered my wits about me and decided that, perhaps, I really was that hungry. I haven’t eaten Spam since, but today I made mock Spam balls as a tribute to that memory.
Enjoy the recipe for my Mock Spam Balls from the “Recipe Box” tab at www.dwellinganddish.com.
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Mock Cornmeal Dressing Spam Balls
Ingredients
Method
- Turn oven on to 375 degrees. Mix the marinade ingredients, soy sauce through the onion powder. Cut the tofu into very small pieces and toss with the marinade. Let sit while you mix the cornbread dressing ingredients.
- Mix the cornbread stuffing ingredients together. Toss about a tablespoon of extra flour into the tofu, then combine the tofu bowl with the cornbread stuffing. Stir together until fully incorporated. Use a cookie scoop to make individual balls on a baking tray. I used a silicone mat, but you could also lightly grease the tray. Bake for about 20 minutes or until baked through.
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