Teriyaki Spam gains at least one fan

For about a week or so I left several cans of Spam sitting in plain view on my desk. The cans were part of a press kit sent to me by the Spam folks to promote the new flavor, Spam Teriyaki.

And I was lazy about toting them home until I was ready to cook with them.

Several of my co-workers saw the canned meat and took note. The comments were varied, but few were positive. Some snickered and made snide remarks about dog food. One pointed out Spam is highly sought after in some Asian countries.

Another jokingly asked if it was what I was planning to serve for Easter dinner.

Obviously my co-workers are not fans (at least not publicly) of the ready-to serve meat. I, on the other hand, have no qualms about declaring my love of Spam.

I am a beer snob. I am definitely a coffee snob.

But I am by no means a food snob. I eat Velveeta.

I eat Spam. And I am not ashamed.

I don’t eat Spam regularly - maybe twice year - but there’s always a can or two in my pantry.

My husband introduced me to fried Spam sandwiches. They are one of his specialties - slices of Spam, pan seared until browned on both sides and served between slices of soft white bread. Occasionally I’ll toast the bread and slather on a little mustard.

When I was vacationing in Hawaii (where more than 7 million cans of Spam products are consumed each year, according to its maker, Hormel) Spam was a common breakfast menu item.

It is particularly good diced and sauteed until browned, then served with white rice and a fried egg.

To give the Teriyaki flavor a try, Spam provided me with a variety of recipes created by the Aloha Plate, Season 4 champions of The Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race. The recipes include variations of Spam Musubi - think sushi but with Spam instead of fish.

The musubi recipes require a bit of special equipment to mold the ingredients, so I’m not including the recipes here, but if you’d like to see the guys from Aloha Plate prepare a Spam Musubi dish, visit tinyurl.com/kponufj.

I opted to try the new flavor with more simple preparations: as a sandwich; in the breakfast dish described above; and in this pineapple fried rice dish.

I really liked the sweet tangy flavor of the teriyaki.

My husband, Joe, did not. He didn’t dislike it, but says he prefers the original.

Spam Teriyaki should be available in stores nationwide, but I haven’t seen it in my neighborhood Kroger yet.

Teriyaki Spam and Pineapple Fried Rice

2 tablespoons stir-fry or vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red chile pepper, cored, seeded and minced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

½ (12-ounce) can Spam Teriyaki, diced

2 cups cooked and chilled rice

1 cup diced fresh pineapple

Soy sauce

Cilantro or parsley for garnish

Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat.

Add garlic, chile, green onion and anchovy paste and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the Spam and stir-fry until well seared. Add the rice and diced pineapple and cook, stirring to break up any clumps of rice, for about 5 minutes. Add a shake or two of soy sauce and cook 1 minute more, stirring frequently. Serve immediately sprinkled with cilantro or parsley.

Makes about 4 servings.