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Friday, April 9, 2021

Ham Divan, a delicious riff on the well loved classic!

Such a simple name for a delicious dish! Ham Divan is a delicious riff on the classic Chicken Divan, originally created at the Divan Parisian Restaurant at the Chatham Hotel in New York City. Ham, rice, and broccoli under a blanket of Parmesan Cheese sauce...what's not to like!


Building a "Divan" is easy, some rice, some broccoli, and some meat baked under a comfy blanket of cheese sauce! 

The perfect one-dish dinner and a great way to cook with what you already have on hand. I have made the classic Chicken Divan many times, and we always enjoyed it. But tonight I had some leftover Easter Ham to use up and the idea to create a divan took over. And this Ham Divan was born!

A divan is nothing more than a bed of rice, cradled in broccoli, with your choice of meat layered over the rice, with a cheese sauce poured over the top, before baking.  When we meal plan, I cook enough rice to be used for a couple of meals. 

And I have found that having cooked rice in the refrigerator is very handy for putting together a quick dinner. Especially if one of the dishes on our meal plan falls through. It really is best to have a backup plan, like this tasty Ham Divan

Ultimately a Divan is nothing more than a component meal...

Fortunately with a well-stocked pantry available, putting together a component meal like Ham Divan, is not a problem. With cooked rice in the fridge, frozen broccoli florets in the freezer, and ham at the ready, this was assembled quite easily. The only part needing last-minute preparation is the cheese sauce, and that my friends, only takes a few minutes. 


Traditionally a Divan was made with a Mornay Sauce, which calls for Gruyere cheese. Since I do not keep Gruyere readily available in my refrigerator pantry, I improvised. And I made a Parmesan Cheese Sauce, and it was perfect. You can of course substitute your own favorite cheese when you make sauce for your Divan. Because if there is one thing that is most enjoyable about a riff, it is the ability to play with the ingredients and still come up with a delicious dinner that the family will enjoy. 

Component dishes are how a restaurant gets food out fast and so can you!

In fact, a dish like this assembled divan (being assembled, which is why it worked so well in the restaurant!) is open to interruptions of many kinds. You will notice suggestions for ingredients because none are so important that failure to use just the right one would cause your dinner to be a disaster. This might be the best recipe ever for using up leftovers and making a whole new dinner in the process...

Let's assemble a Ham Divan, shall we?

Ingredients needed for this recipe:
  • sliced or diced ham
  • cooked brown rice
  • frozen broccoli florets
  • butter
  • milk
  • flour
  • salt
  • pepper
  • garlic powder
  • Parmesan Cheese (the green can is fine!)
  • paprika
You will also need the following:
  • small saucepan
  • whisk
  • silicone spatula
  • measuring cups 
  • measuring spoons
  • 9X13 baking pan
  • foil
Now we are ready to begin!




Ham Divan
by the seat of my pants!
350-degree oven

2 - 3 cups cooked rice, we prefer brown rice, but use your favorite!
3 - 4 cups frozen broccoli florets
about 1 pound ham, slice thinly or diced
1 c Ham or chicken broth, or a 50/50 combo of water and broth or white wine
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 c milk
1/8 t garlic powder to equal 1 clove minced garlic
dash of salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c Parmesan Cheese, divided 
paprika

Place the cooked rice in the bottom of a 9X13 inch baking pan, pour the broth evenly over the rice. Place pan in the oven and begin preheating the oven to 350-degrees. Once the oven signals that it is preheated, let the rice and broth mixture remain for 5 additional minutes, longer will not hurt. 


While the rice is in the oven, make the cheese sauce. 

In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat, when melted, whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook over medium heat for about a minute, add the milk, continue cooking and stirring until thickened. 

Season with a dash of salt, pepper to taste, and garlic powder if desired. Stir about 2/3 of the Parmesan Cheese into the cooked sauce. Set the finished sauce aside, note sauce will be thick. 


Remove the rice from the oven, remember the rice and the pan are hot. Carefully move the rice to the middle of the pan, as shown. 

Place the broccoli florets along both sides of the pan. Lay the ham over the rice, then pour the cheese sauce over the ham. 

Cover with foil, return the pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove the foil, and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top. 

Return the pan to the oven and continue baking for 15 minutes. Garnish with paprika, and serve.


Storage options for Ham Divan. Leftovers may be refrigerated tightly covered for up to three days. I do not recommend freezing this dish, due to the varying ingredients. 

UPDATE:  For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of Ham Divan has been included below. 
You may also enjoy: 


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Printable "copy and paste" version:

Ham Divan
by the seat of my pants!
350-degree oven

2 - 3 cups cooked rice, we prefer brown rice, but use your favorite!
3 - 4 cups frozen broccoli florets
about 1 pound ham, slice thinly or diced
1 c Ham or chicken broth, or a 50/50 combo of water and broth or white wine
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 c milk
1/8 t garlic powder to equal 1 clove minced garlic
dash of salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c Parmesan Cheese, divided 
paprika

Place the cooked rice in the bottom of a 9X13 inch baking pan, pour the broth evenly over the rice. Place pan in the oven and begin preheating the oven to 350-degrees. Once the oven signals that it is preheated, let the rice and broth mixture remain for 5 additional minutes, longer will not hurt. 

While the rice is in the oven, make the cheese sauce. 

In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat, when melted, whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook over medium heat for about a minute, add the milk, continue cooking and stirring until thickened. 

Season with a dash of salt, pepper to taste, and garlic powder if desired. Stir about 2/3 of the Parmesan Cheese into the cooked sauce. Set the finished sauce aside, note sauce will be thick. 

Remove the rice from the oven, remember the rice and the pan are hot. Carefully move the rice to the middle of the pan, as shown. 

Place the broccoli florets along both sides of the pan. Lay the ham over the rice, then pour the cheese sauce over the ham. 

Cover with foil, return the pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove the foil, and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top. 

Return the pan to the oven and continue baking for 15 minutes. Garnish with paprika, and serve.

Storage options for Ham Divan. Leftovers may be refrigerated tightly covered for up to three days. I do not recommend freezing this dish, due to the varying ingredients. 

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Would you like to comment?

  1. A good one using up that holiday ham.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We loved it! Next time I will dice the ham, slices are pretty but serving up can be messy...

      Delete
  2. This actually sounds divine! Can't believe either version (chicken or ham) has been served here. On the agenda now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did, and thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  3. I've never heard of Divan before but the flavours seem like somethingyou couldn't go wrong with.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A Divan is very adaptable, feel free to swap out the cheese for another is you wish!

      Delete
  4. I used to make a Chicken Divan recipe when I was first married, but as I got older, I did away with recipes that called for canned soups and packaged powders. This sounds wonderful. I think we would like it very much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am with you, I am down to only one recipe to remake NOT using the canned soup. But honestly I never made a Divan with soup, although I know it was an often shared recipe from the past. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.

      Delete
  5. Another recipe my hubby would like!! Thanks so much for linking up with me at the Unlimited Link Party 24. Pinned!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dee, thanks so for hosting Ultimate Link up # 24, I appreciate it!

      Delete
  6. That sounds delicious! I have leftover ham waiting to be used too. Pinned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We enjoyed this very much, thanks for visiting, I appreciate it!

      Delete

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