Don't waste a ham bone

Any day now, to paraphrase Truman Capote, you'll smell it in the air.

Ham bone season, that is.

You know the drill: You haul that gorgeous haunch o' hog out of the oven on Easter, and then, days-of-leftovers later, you're staring at the dang bone, a few bits of succulence still clinging to its nearly bare topography.

You stand there deciding what to do - toss it, or make the most of it. Make the most of it, people.

"It's 100 percent flavor, and it's 100 percent free," said food blogger Alanna Kellogg, second-generation author of "Kitchen Parade," a cooking column started by her mother when Kellogg was a babe.

Kellogg is a home cook who "thinks ham 'n' beans the day after Easter is a birthright."

"It brings you lots of caramelized taste," said Mark Scarbrough, coauthor with Bruce Weinstein of the just-released Ham: An Obsession With the Hindquarter (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $29.95).

But we say, forge beyond the go-to pea or bean soup or stew. Seize that ham bone, and put it to work in any one of these variations, courtesy of Scarbrough:

In a rice cooker (or saucepan) with medium-grain rice.

Throw it into almost any chili (to give a little salty, smoky taste).

In a pot of tomato sauce or jarred sauce if you want to add a meaty taste without adding meat.

In the bottom layer of a steamer with veggies on top, to add flavor.

Boiling water for pasta? Add a hambone first, boil a few minutes, take it out, and add the noodles.

Makes 6 servings

EndTextStartText

3 tablespoons unsalted

butter, softened to room temperature

6 ounces smoked ham, chopped

3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 each, chopped: onion, large Yukon Gold potato

1 teaspoon each: dried

marjoram, grated lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

3 cups salt-free, fat-free chicken broth

1 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

1 cooked ham bone with some meat still adhering to it

1/2 cup whipping cream or milk 1 teaspoon salt, optional

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons flour

EndTextStartText

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the ham; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 3 minutes. Stir in the corn, onion, and potato. Cook, stirring often, 3 minutes. Add the marjoram, lemon zest, and celery seeds; cook 20 seconds. Add the broth and wine. Heat to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add the bone; cover the pot. Reduce heat to low; simmer 45 minutes.

2. Stir in the cream; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook 2 minutes; mash the flour with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl until smooth. Drop small pieces of the butter mixture into the simmering soup, in six to eight additions, stirring well after each. Cook, stirring, until soup thickens. Remove the ham bone; scrape off any meat still clinging to it with the back of a knife, letting the meat fall into the pot. Taste for seasoning.

Per serving:

348 calories, 48 percent of calories from fat, 19 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 32 g carbohydrates, 15 g protein, 66 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

EndText

Makes 12 deviled egg halves

EndTextStartText

6 large eggs

4 ounces smoked, wet-cured

ham, such as a spiral-sliced    ham, any sugar coating

removed, finely chopped

into 1/4-inch bits

1 medium scallion

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons minced celery

2 teaspoons jarred white

horseradish

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon minced tarragon

leaves or 1/2 teaspoon

dried tarragon

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon cayenne,   optional

Several dashes hot red pepper

sauce, such as    Tabasco,

to taste

EndTextStartText

1. Set the eggs in a large saucepan, cover them with cool water until the water stands about 1 inch over the eggs, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, then cover the pan and set off the heat for 7 minutes.

2. Carefully drain the pan over the sink, leaving the eggs inside; then run lots of cold tap water into it to bring the eggs to room teperature. Peel off the shells.

3. Split the eggs in half lengthwise and use a little spoon to scoop the yellow yolks into a large bowl, taking care not to break or tear the whites. Save these on a plate.

4. Mix the yolks with all the remaining ingredients. Using the back of a fork, mash the yolks fully into the mexture. Then use a small spoon to mound this mixture back into the indentations in the halved egg whites.

5. Place on a platter, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours so the flavors meld a bit.

Per egg half:

71 calories, 5 grams protein, trace carbohydrates, trace sugar, 5 grams fat, 112 milligrams cholesterol, 185 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.