Mustard-Glazed Ham Steak

Microwave dinners don’t have to mean frozen trays. This 15-minute ham and cabbage dinner uses the microwave exactly the way it cooks best: steaming vegetables quickly and reheating already-cured meat without drying it out.

The glaze is a three-ingredient classic: Dijon mustard, honey, and red wine vinegar. Sweet-sour-pungent in equal measure, and the heat of the ham steak warms the glaze into a glossy coat without needing an oven or a burner. The cabbage cooks underneath in the rendered juices, absorbing pork flavor and softening to tender without going mushy.

Medium-high power (70 percent) at the finishing step is the detail that separates this from rubbery microwave ham. Full power overcooks the cured meat and turns the edges tough. Seventy percent warms it evenly without shrinking the slice.

Kitchen Tips

• Look for thick-cut ham steaks, about ¾ inch or more. Thin steaks overcook fast and taste dry even with the glaze.
• Chop the cabbage into medium pieces, about an inch square. Finer chop turns to mush in the microwave. Larger pieces stay undercooked in the given time.
• Use a shallow dish, not a deep casserole. A wide, shallow container cooks more evenly in the microwave than a narrow deep one.
• Serve with orzo or crusty rye bread as the recipe suggests. Both make sense. The rye especially echoes the sweet-sour-mustard flavors found in German and Eastern European cooking.

Variations

• Swap cabbage for sauerkraut for a more German feel. Drain and rinse the kraut first to avoid over-salting the finished dish.
• Add a tablespoon of dark brown sugar to the glaze for an even stickier, deeper caramelized finish.
• Sprinkle with toasted caraway seeds or a dusting of smoked paprika before serving for an extra layer of aroma.