Broccoli Ham Ring -- The Table Was Good

Easter. This one had a different quality than last year's diminished version — the church was full, or fuller than 2020 allowed, and the sun was out after two weeks of clouds and the lilacs in the churchyard were threatening to bud. I sat in my usual pew and sang the hymns I've known since I was six and felt something that I can only describe as provisional peace. Not the arrival of peace — the possibility of it. The distinction matters to me and probably would seem small to anyone outside the particular situation of being a person who spent years outside the possibility.

Dr. Crain asked me this week what peace looks like to me specifically. I sat with the question for a long time. I said something about quietness without its being quiet. She asked me to say more. I tried for the rest of the session. I'm not sure I arrived at the answer. But the direction of travel toward it has become clearer over the last two months, which is progress enough.

Made the Easter ham. Same preparation as always — brine, score, honey glaze, clove in the diamonds. It comes out right every time now, which is what a sufficiently practiced recipe does. Mom made her sides. The table was good. Dad smiled at something Tom Whelan said, a real smile, full face, the kind that reaches the eyes. I noticed it and took a photograph in my memory of the exact quality of it.

The ham itself was the anchor of the day — the thing I could count on when I wasn’t yet sure what else I could count on. But this Broccoli Ham Ring is the recipe that keeps finding its way to our Easter table alongside it, the kind of dish that uses up the good leftovers and somehow manages to feel just as celebratory the second time around. It’s become part of what that table looks like to me now, which turns out to be its own kind of answer.

Broccoli Ham Ring

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cooked ham, diced
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat. Heat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, ham, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir until evenly mixed.
3. Arrange the dough. Unroll both cans of crescent dough and separate into triangles. Arrange them in a circle on the prepared baking sheet, pointed ends facing outward and wide ends overlapping in the center to form a ring shape roughly 5 inches in diameter at the center.
4. Add filling. Spoon the ham and broccoli filling in an even mound around the inner circle of the dough, over the wide ends.
5. Fold and seal. Fold each dough triangle point up and over the filling, tucking it under the ring to secure. The filling will remain partially visible between the folds.
6. Egg wash. Brush the top of the ring with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
7. Bake. Bake for 22–25 minutes, until the crescent dough is deep golden brown and cooked through. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 14g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 740mg