How To Boil A Ham

Boiling a raw smoked ham makes for a delicious meal, or is the first step to making a glazed roast. I've adopted tips from Dorothy Hartley's History of Food in England for some olde timey ideas on how to improve a ham. If you have leftovers, so much the better because there are recipes that require bits of cooked smoked ham to extend the pleasure and gratitude for this food. There are loads of special Notes for this recipe, so make sure to read them to make sure you're getting the result you're looking for.

1 smoked raw ham, no matter the weight (picnic/shoulder hams are more flavorful)

1 large whole onion, skin and all, rough chop

2 carrots, rough chop

2 branches celery, rough chop (or a pinch of celery seed)

2 to 4 bay leaves

Small handful of whole peppercorns, about 1 Tbsp

NOTE: For best results, cook separately from a meal - the ham should cool in its own cooking water before use, which means boiling it the day before. HOWEVER, it can be used as soon as cooked all on its own and still hot as an excellent protein for a meal ('specially with roast root veg). 

NOTE: Put to soak the night before cooking.

1. Weigh the ham and calculate the cooking time (before the soak) at 15 minutes per lb.
2. Good hams are preserved with salt, which makes them very salty unless you soak them and boil the salts out of them. Soak the ham in plenty of cold water (therefore in a large pot) for a minimum of 6 hours, but preferably overnight. 
3. Drain the water, and replace with fresh cold water. Put the pot on your heat source but note, the water should not boil for any extended period - boiling will make the ham tough! Bring the water to a gentle simmer, and cook like this for about an hour for the first boil, regardless of the size of your ham. If you have a small ham, the timing for your second boil will depend on the internal temperature of the ham, outlined in step #6. 
4. Meanwhile, get the vegetables ready.
5. After the hour is up, drain the water, refill with cold water again, throw in the vegetables and spices, and set it to very gently simmer (again being careful not to let the water boil). From the calculations you made in Step 1, subtract the hour it has already simmered, and start the count-down. For the ham to be completely cooked, the internal temperature should read 155 to 160°F.
6. Once your ham is cooked, SAVE THE COOKING WATER to make soup! Leave the cooking water to cool completely and scoop off the congealed fat to use in flavoring dishes that usually use bacon for flavoring like quiches or soups. 
7. If not to eat right away, leave the ham in its cooking water to cool down completely. The flavorful cooking water will hydrate the ham to make it more succulent. The cold ham can be used to make baked ham, or its leftovers used in other dishes.

Good served with: Cabbage Braised in Milk 

Pork or Lamb Dhansak

On our journey to food sovereignty we have lived on a sheep farm, and currently we are raising pigs. There were no pigs on the sheep farm, nor are there any sheep on our current farm. While living on the sheep farm I was developing recipes that use lamb and/or mutton, but having that source of carbon dry up and be replaced by pork, I felt like I had lost a lot of time and energy. But, lo and behold, pork can substitute lamb in some instances. Ergo, this recipe is very good with either lamb or pork.

2+1 Tbsps mild oil

1 kg/2lb 4oz diced lamb or pork (or pork steaks) shoulder or leg, or a mixture of both

2 onions (12oz/340gr) chopped

25g/1oz fresh root ginger, finely grated

4 garlic cloves, pressed

2 red chillies, seeds removed, finely chopped

1 green cardamom pod, finely ground

1½ Tbsp ground cumin

1½ Tbsp ground coriander

½ Tbsp ground turmeric

1 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes or the equivalent in fresh chopped tomato

200ml/7fl oz beef stock

75g/2½oz red lentils

2 Tbsps honey or maple syrup

1 tsp salt 

½ tsp pepper

To serve

Savoury Rice

Steamed pumpkin pieces

• NOTE: this can prepared in the oven or in the slow cooker. Refer to points 8 and 9 in the instructions for the type of cooking you choose to use.

1. Heat two Tbsps of oil in a large frying pan. Sear the meat until it is browned on all sides. Put in the cooking pot.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the onion and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, or until beginning to soften.
3. Meanwhile, combine the ginger, garlic and chilli.
4. Remove the cardamom seeds from their husks and grind them to a fine powder in a pestle and mortar. 
5. Add the garlic and ginger mixture to the pan along with ground cardamom and the remaining spices.
6. Add the tomatoes and beef stock to the pan and deglaze. When all the good browned bits are loose from the bottom, pour into the cooking pot.
7. Mix in the honey or maple syrup and the red lentils. 
8. SLOW COOKER METHOD: Turn the slow cooker on High and cook for 3 hours or until tender. 
9. BAKED METHOD: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Use a casserole and cover to cook for 1½ hours or until the meat is fall-apart tender.
10. Check the seasoning and serve with rice and steamed pumpkin.

Barley Kichadi

1 cup pearl barley  (soaked for an hour then drained)

½ cup yellow mung dal OR red lentils

2 Tbsps mild veg oil or ghee 

½ tsp mustard seeds 

½ tsp cumin seeds  

1 onion (6oz/170gr) finely chopped 

Zest from 1 lime OR fresh lemon balm

A pinch of asafoetida (aka hing)

½ inch fresh ginger, grated or chopped finely

3 to 4 green chillies, chopped finely

¼ tsp turmeric powder 

2 tomatoes (10 to 15 oz) finely chopped (or 10oz tinned)

3 cups water 

1 tsp salt or to taste

Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

2 Tbsps. lemon or lime juice 

OPTIONAL: carrot, peas, fresh beans or any other vegetable of your choice

1. Soak barley and pulses for at least 1 hour in plenty of water. Drain the water away before using in the recipe. 
2. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium flame.
3. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they pop, add chopped onions and sauté.
4. Add curry leaves, hing, ginger and green chilies. Stir fry for up to 2 minutes, or until onions become translucent.
5. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till they become soft.
6. Add the soaked barley and moong dal and mix well. 
7. Add 3 cups of water and salt. Allow the water to come to a nice boil.
8. Lower the heat and cover to cook.
9. Cook for 50 minutes to an hour or until the barley is well cooked and the water is fully absorbed.
10. Add more water if required, if you feel the barley is not cooked enough. 
11. Remove from heat and serve, sprinkled with lemon juice and garnished with chopped coriander leaves.
12. Serve barley khichdi with yogurt or as it is.

Pork Carnitas - Slow cooked pulled pork

Equal parts savory crunchy bits and lovely tender bits, it is an ode to pork.

3 to 5 lb pork shoulder, bone in (also pork chops in a pinch, so probably pork loin roast)

The Rub

3 tsps salt

1 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp dried oregano

2 tsps ground cumin

½ tsp cayenne pepper

2 Tbsps chilli powder

¼ tsp cinnamon

Scant pinch of ground cloves

Aromatics

1 large onion, cut into wedges

5 cloves garlic, smashed

2 limes, juiced

2 Tbsps brown sugar

2 bay leaves

Serve with any of the following:

Sliced avocado

Sliced radishes

Thinly sliced cabbage

Warm tortillas, corn or flour

Fresh squeezed lime juice

Salsa

Refried beans

Red Rice

1. Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub in the salt and pepper.
2. Combine the rub ingredients then rub all over the pork as much as possible; use ALL of it. 
3. Place the pork in a slow cooker with the fat cap up. Surround it with the onion, crushed garlic and lime juice, tucking the bay leaves at either end.
4. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.
5. The meat should be tender and falling off the bone. Remove from the slow cooker and set aside only long enough to finish the next step.
6. Pour juices in the slow cooker into a glass measuring cup and skim off and discard the fat. If more than 1½ to 2 cups of juice is left, reduce it in a wide pan until you have less than 2 cups. The liquid will be SALTY, and should only be used as indicated in the following steps.
7. Shred the pork using a couple of forks.

To Serve

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan over high heat, then reduce to medium high. Place shredded pork into the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side - you don't want to make it brown all over because then it's too crispy, and the tender juicy bits get lost.
2. Repeat in batches (takes me a couple of batches) - don't crowd the pan.
3. If you are reheating the carnitas, then flip and cook the other side briefly just to warm through. I really recommend only making one side crusty and leaving the other side juicy and moist.

Buckwheat pancakes (Galettes de sarrazin) - Plain

Food of my people immortalized by the character Séraphin Poudrier in Claude-Henri Grignon's "Un homme et son péché", published in 1933. Séraphin's beleaguered child-bride Donalda was forced to only eat these with molasses to satisfy her husband's avarice. Myself, I quite like them but, then again, I choose to eat them. They can be eaten with sweet toppings or there are classic savory versions that are equally delicious. This is the basic recipe for the pancake.

1 cup (120g) buckwheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 cup+ (250 ml+) milk of choice

2 eggs

Butter for frying

1. Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until uniform.
2. Let the batter rest for 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Beat again before using. 
4. The batter will likely be a bit thick. Add more milk until you get the consistency of light cream.
5. Heat an empty 8 to 10" fry pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until it's very hot.
6. Melt some butter and pour in ⅓ cup of batter, swirling the pan to get an even distribution; you may also use a palette knife or pastry scraper to smooth it out with a deft turn of the wrist. The bottom of the pan should be completely covered.
7. When the bubbles pop and the surface dries out a bit, flip to cook the other side; this should happen within 30 to 60 seconds, if not, adjust the heat. The bottom should be a light golden colour, not too dark since the galette will be re-heated with the filling of your choice.

Quick Sautéed Kale Side Dish

1 large bunch of kale, sliced in thin strips

1 tsp oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

¼ to ½ tsp red chilli flakes

½ cup chicken or vegetable stock

3 cloves garlic, minced (or more to taste)

Juice from 1 lemon or lime (OR serve with lemon or lime wedges)

Salt to taste

1. Cook the onion, garlic and chilli flakes in the oil until starting to soften. 
2. Add the kale and vegetable stock; cover and lower the heat to obtain a simmer.
3. Cook at least until the kale has wilted; kale can take a lot of cooking and, in fact, cooking for a long time helps with the texture. The trick is to make sure you haven't lost too much moisture from the sauce. 
4. Uncover and sauté while the stock reduces and thickens into a bit of sauce.
5. Add the lemon juice (if not serving with wedges) and season with salt. Cover and let steam while the rest of your meal finishes cooking.
6. (Optional) Garnish with red pepper flakes and lemon wedges before serving.

Curried potatoes and beans

This is a relatively simple addition to any Indian-themed meal and has always been received with enthusiasm. It's a dry curry, and I like it matched with something creamy like a dahl.

8 to 10 oz green beans, cut into 1" lengths
1lb to 1lb 6oz potatoes, cut into wedges
2 Tbsps oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
¼ to ½ tsp cayenne pepper, to taste
Salt to taste
½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp + lemon or lime juice

1. Pour the oil in a saucepan and add mustard and cumin seeds. Turn on the heat to medium-high and, when the mustard seeds start to pop (this is unmistakable), add the potatoes and sautée 10 to 15 minutes, or until just starting to brown on all sides and getting soft. Keep covered when not actively sautéeing.
2. Add the beans along with the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne and salt. Mix well and sautée another 8 to 10 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
3. Add the garam masala and the lemon juice, all to just heat up, about 1 minute, and serve. A light drizzle of more citrus juice would not go amiss.

Brown Rice Mujadara Bowl with a Fried Egg

A 'mujadara' is a classic Arabic dish. Apparently, the word translates as 'pockmarked'. A bit of a strange reference to food, but the lentils make the dish look like it has pimples, or so it did to those who named the dish. For me, it's a delicious accompaniment to eggs and harissa.

Serves 4

For the mujadara:
1 cup brown basmati rice
1 cup French lentils
4½ cups vegetable broth
2 + 1 Tbsps olive oil
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
½ cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
Salt

For the bowl:
Olive oil
4 large eggs
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Paprika
2½ Tbsps harissa (spicy or mild)
(optional) ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

1. In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Add the brown rice, lentils, and a hefty pinch of salt. Reduce the flame to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes, uncovered, or until the rice and lentils are cooked through (add more liquid as needed). Once the rice and lentils are fully cooked, turn off the heat, put the lid on and set aside. Let sit for another 10 minutes.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsps of olive oil over medium heat. Cook the sliced onions until deeply browned and beginning to caramelize, about 20 minutes (TIP: add small amounts of water when you feel the need, to prevent the onions from burning; you can also continue cooking the onions for as long as the rice and lentils cook for a deeper caramelization). When the onions are nicely browned and almost finished, add in the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. When the rice and lentils have finished cooking, gently mix in the cumin, parsley, half of the onion mixture and the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Reserve the rest of the onions for serving.
4. Wipe clean the skillet used to cook the onions, lightly grease with olive oil, and return to medium heat. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook to your desired doneness. Sprinkle the tops of the eggs with salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika.
5. Divide the mujadara equally between 4 bowls and place a fried egg into each bowl. Garnish with the remaining caramelized onions, harissa, and toasted pine nuts.

Garlic Pasta Boiled in its own Sauce

This is a magical little number, where the pasta is cooked in the milk broth, releases is starches and thickens the sauce. All in a single saucepan. It's easily doubled. If you want to control the amount of garlic flavour in the sauce, I recommend weighing the garlic - stores rarely care which varietal they sell, some cloves are huge, others quite small.

Servings: 2

2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter

2 cloves garlic (8gr), minced

2 cups mild broth such as chicken 

1 cup milk, or more, as needed

8 oz uncooked fettuccine or spaghetti

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated, + 1 oz for garnishing

2 Tbsps fresh parsley leaves, chopped 

1. Have your broth at the ready to stop the browning of the garlic.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Just as the butter melts, put in the garlic. This next part is really quick, just a minute or so. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and just starting to lightly brown.
3. Immediately stir in the broth, milk and pasta. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently, until the pasta is cooked through, about 18 to 20 minutes. 
5. Stir in the Parmesan. 
6. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed until the desired consistency is obtained.
7. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley.

Cheesy Grits

A creamy and relatively quick and simple, this gift from the American South goes very well with eggs for a nice lunch. A crisp salad with that doesn't go amiss. If there are any leftovers, there's a recipe below to make fried patties the next day.

2 cups whole milk
2 cups water
1½ tsps salt
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter
4oz sharp Cheddar, shredded

1. Bring the milk, water, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Gradually add the cornmeal while whisking continually. Once all the cornmeal has been incorporated, decrease the heat to low and cover. Every 3 to 4 minutes, remove the lid and beat with a wooden spoon to prevent grits from sticking or forming lumps; make sure to get into the corners. 
3. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the mixture is creamy.
4. Remove from the heat, add the pepper and butter, and beat with a wooden spoon to combine. Once the butter is melted, gradually beat in the cheese a little at a time. Serve immediately.

NOTE: Leftover Cheese Grits Patties
Weigh or measure the quantity of grits you have to work with.
Add ⅛ of the total weight-or-measure in flour and mix thoroughly.
The dough will be very sticky. Form into patties (I take a heaping soupspoonfull and plop it in the hot pan, let it cook a bit enough to flip it over, then flatten it and cook both sides until they brown nicely) of about 80 to 100 grams.
Heat a fry pan for a couple of minutes before melting butter in it.
Fry the patties until browned on both sides.

Pouding Chômeur (transl. "Tramp's pudding")

This is a traditional French-Canadian recipe that is very common in Quebec. I continue to be amazed at the strange summersault kind of effect of pouring the boiling sauce on top before baking, and it ends up on the bottom after baking. Oh, and what lovely, taffy-like gooeyness ends up on the bottom!

 

CAKE

¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter

⅔ cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup milk

1½ cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

MAPLE SAUCE

1 cup maple Syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup water

¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter

1. Cream the butter until it becomes pale, then gradually add the sugar. Continue beating until you get a smooth consistency.
2. Alternately add the liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
3. Grease a square baking dish with a little oil and dust with flour. Pour in the batter and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F while making the sauce.
5. To make the sauce, mix together all the maple sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Keep an eye on it! You're boiling sugar, so it will want to boil over. Boil for a less then a minute (I've boiled it for exactly a minute once, and the effect of the sauce was more of a taffy than a sauce. A tasty variation).
6. Pour the sauce over the batter. DO NOT mix. As the cake bakes, the batter will swell and float to the top.
7. Bake for 45 minutes.

Pouding chaude au chocolat ou Fudge a Marie-Thérèse

I feel so much pride in being able to share family recipes. This is from the collection of my maternal Grandmother, Marie-Thérèse Noël-de-Tilly/Lambert. It is in a similar vein as the Québecois dessert Pouding Chômeur (to come to this cooking page, soon) and is singularly bizarre in my mind. With the help of family, I think I've mostly worked out the chemistry behind it. It's best served lukewarm instead of hot, so that the sauce has a chance to thicken, so let it rest at least a half hour before serving. It's equally good cold the next day.

1 cup flour (135g)
½ tsp baking soda (2g)
Pinch of salt (2g)
¾ cup sugar (152g)
2 Tbsps cocoa (11g)
Milk (see instruction #3)
2 Tbsps white vinegar 
2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) melted butter
1 cup chopped nuts

THE SAUCE
1 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsps cocoa (22g)
OPTIONAL ½ tsp cinnamon
1¾ cups boiling water

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and cocoa. Make a well in the center.
3. In a half-cup measure, put in 2 Tbsps of white vinegar and fill to the ½ cup mark with milk. Add to the well.
4. Add the melted butter, along with the nuts. 
5. Mix well and place in a greased, square baking dish. Set aside.
6. In a separate bowl combine the brown sugar and second measure of cocoa (optional cinnamon at this point as well). Whisk in the boiling water until perfectly uniform.
7. Pour the sauce over the batter and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.
8. Serve lukewarm. (my grandmother indicates to serve it hot with the sauce ladled on top. Ultimately, it's your choice.)

Blue cheese Potatoes au Gratin

I suppose any blue cheese would do for this recipe, but the Cambozola makes for a lovely, savory-sweet dish. It is a high-octane recipe in terms of fat, given the high fat content of the cheese, but this is what creates the amazing mouth feel that makes every morsel so appealing.

4  potatoes (1lb 8oz), sliced thinly

3 garlic cloves, minced

3  Tbsps (42gr) butter

3  Tbsps flour

1½  cups milk

1  tsp. salt

1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced  (or 2 tsps dried)

100gr Cambozola cheese, grated

1. Place the oven rack in the middle position. Pre-heat to 350°F.
2. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and sauté the garlic until starting to colour.
3. With a whisk blend in the flour and cook until it turns pale golden and you've roasted out the floury flavor.
4. Add all the milk stirring constantly with the whisk to break up clods of flour, and season with salt, pepper and thyme.
5. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally with the whisk, until the sauce thickens.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
7. Place a quarter of the sliced potatoes in a one quart casserole dish or if you have an attractive oven-ready fry pan, it'll create a lovely rustic display and you only have to dirty one pan to make the dish! Alternate in quarters the first the potatoes and then the cheese sauce until you end with the last of the cheese sauce on top.
8. Bake uncovered for about 1hr + or until the potatoes are soft and a nice golden crust forms on top.