Ham and Rice — The Easter Table That Always Makes Room for One More

Easter weekend. Home. Church. Ham. The order of operations is fixed and the execution is flawless because Tanya Robinson does not permit flawed executions, especially on holidays. I arrived Saturday night and the kitchen was already in motion — Mama had the ham studded with cloves, the collard greens washed and stripped, the potato salad chilling in the refrigerator covered in the plastic wrap that Mama applies with the precision of a surgeon closing a wound.

Easter morning at Bethany Church. The choir sang "He Lives" and MawMaw Shirley sang along from the pew, her voice thin but sure, the voice of a woman who has been singing in this church since before the pulpit that Grandpa Charles built was the pulpit. Uncle Terrence sat in the back row, which is where he sits now — close enough to be counted, far enough to leave quietly if the emotion gets heavy. He stayed for the whole service. He shook the pastor's hand. He came to dinner.

I made deviled eggs again — my Easter contribution, the tradition I am building for myself within the larger tradition of the Robinson Easter dinner. This year I added a tiny bit of Creole mustard and a sprinkle of paprika that made them look restaurant-elegant, which is not the point but is also kind of the point, because presentation is the first language that food speaks and I want my deviled eggs to say something before they are eaten. They said it. Kayla ate four. Daddy ate five. MawMaw Shirley ate one and said, "The mustard is new." I said yes. She said, "Keep it." That is how a recipe evolves: one ingredient at a time, one generation at a time, until the deviled eggs your great-granddaughter makes in 2060 contain a Creole mustard addition that nobody remembers adding because it has always been there. I added it. Today. And nobody will remember, and that is perfect.

Jamal FaceTimed. He and Brittany are expecting. They did not announce it on FaceTime — they called Mama separately, before the call — but Mama's face during the FaceTime had the particular glow of a woman who knows a secret she has been told not to share and who is sharing it through sheer facial expression. The baby is due in November. Jamal is going to be a father. I am going to be an aunt. MawMaw Shirley is going to be a great-grandmother. The family is growing. The table needs to get bigger. It always needs to get bigger.

Mama’s ham was the centerpiece — clove-studded, perfectly executed, the kind of dish that makes a table feel like a covenant. After the weekend wound down and the FaceTime glow faded and I was back home turning MawMaw Shirley’s words over in my head, I found myself reaching for the leftover ham I’d wrapped and brought back with me, because some meals deserve a second life. Ham and rice is exactly that: a quiet, generous dish that stretches the celebration a little further, the way a growing family stretches a table — without losing anything, only adding more.

Ham and Rice

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
• 2 cups cooked ham, diced (about 3/4 lb)
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 2 green onions, sliced, for garnish

Instructions

1. Sauté the aromatics. Melt butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4–5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
2. Add the ham. Stir in the diced ham and cook for 2–3 minutes, allowing it to pick up a little color from the pan.
3. Toast the rice. Add the rice to the skillet and stir to coat it in the butter and pan drippings. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the rice smells lightly nutty.
4. Simmer. Pour in the chicken broth and add the smoked paprika and black pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and cook for 18–20 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the broth and is tender.
5. Rest and fluff. Remove from heat and let the pan sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, taste for salt, and adjust seasoning as needed.
6. Serve. Spoon into bowls and garnish with sliced green onions. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 410 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 820mg