HAM + 3 WAYS WITH

Cook a ham and use it through the week.

Hey guys,

Welcome back to The Good Home Cook.

This week I’m chatting about cooked ham. As I write this my ham bubbles away on the stove top, filling the room with a nostalgic scent of bay leaves and rich stock. The windows are steaming and I can’t help but feel excited for the many meals I’ll get out of this one hunk of flavoursome, smoked meat.

Why don’t we cook gammon more? Gammon is of course the raw form of ham. Once cooked in aromatics the boiled or baked it then becomes ham which can be eaten hot or cold. From this one piece of meat you can create many meals. It’s thrifty too. I eat mine throughout the week with hot baked potatoes and soured cream. Simmered with soups (for paid subs - see below for a pea, mint, ham and crème fraiche number). You could have it with chips or instead of roast pork in your Sunday lunch. Simply with herby boiled potatoes is delicious, with sage fried eggs or of course sandwiched between thick slices of white bread with mustard and mayonnaise.

I know it might seem a bit old fashioned but I implore you to boil a ham this week, or at the weekend. Ham isn’t just for Christmas, its for all year and you’ll be wondering why you don’t cook it more.

Esther x

With wild garlic buttered new potatoes and mustardy mayonaise

Baked potatoes with soured cream and chives

HOW TO -

Pick your gammon - pick a good quality gammon if you can. Smoked or unsmoked its up to you. I love the rich smoky flavour but unsmoked is a little gentler in flavour.

Cook your gammon - The initial brief cooking helps extract the excess salt then low and slow is the way forward. Make sure your ham is on a very gentle simmer and well submerged in water. Boiling it rapidly turns the meat tough and dry where as cooking it slowly keeps it juicy.

Flavour your gammon - The basic aromatics of onion, bay, celery and carrot shouldn’t be omitted but do try different spices if you like.

• Fennel seeds - Fennel is a natural pairing with pork, it adds a gentle hum of aniseed which is very delicious. Add 1 tbsp in replacement of the coriander seeds or as well.

• Cloves - A classic addition, cloves add a fragrant flavour and gentle sweetness.

• Half a red chilli - To add a spike of heat, slice a chilli in half an simmer along with the other ingredients.

Other serving suggestions -

• Thinly sliced and served with eggs fried in brown butter and sage and lots of buttered toast

• Serve with lots of chips and tarragon aioli

• With colcannon mash and parsley sauce

• Shredded and simmered in chicken stock with peas, soft herbs and small pasta shapes

• Baked into a gratin with a parmesan spiked béchamel and butterbeans then serve with a punchy salad.

Hot ham

PREP 1 HOUR COOK 2 1/2 HOURS SERVES 8 EASY

1 x 2kg good quality free-range smoked or unsmoked gammon

1/2 large onion, peeled

1 carrot, thickly sliced

2 celery sticks, cut into 5cm lengths

2 fresh bay leaves

1 tsp peppercorns

2 tsp coriander seeds

Bring your ham to room temperature a couple of hours before cooking - this insures that the ham cooks evenly all the way through.

Put your ham in your roomiest saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the simmer then drain and put back in the pot with all the remaining ingredients. Cover again with cold water. Bring to the simmer, cover and cook over a very low heat on a gentle simmer for 2 hours. Once cooked, turn off the heat and allow the ham to cool down in the liquid. If you want to eat the ham hot leave it for just 1 hour or for at least 5 hours if you intend to eat it cold.

Slice with your sharpest knife, I like my slices pretty thin but you could cut into thicker steaks if you like.

Keep wrapped in the fridge for up to 10 days. Or freeze in slices for up to 1 month.

Pea, ham and mint soup with crème fraiche

This is a great way to use up the rich a flavourful cooking liquids. Be aware that it can be quite salty so don’t be tempted to add any extra salt.

PREP 10 MINS COOK 15 MINS SERVES 4-5 EASY