A festive ham

For me Christmas is all about family and I love doing a really special Christmas feast. The Americans know exactly how to do a festive ham and both Christmas’ we were out there; we bought one of their beautiful hams. For our first Christmas in Germany we bought a prepared ham, well it was a gammon joint to be honest which isn’t quite the same thing. I cooked it according to the package directions and was most disappointed, it was almost inedible, and there was no way I was about to start fridge picking at the cold meat in the middle of the night, after all what is the point in cooking a massive ham if you aren’t going to pick at it, for the whole Christmas period?

The forth Christmas was spent at my Mum’s and a usual the ham, gammon, was cooked to perfection, she always gets Christmas dinner spot on. Christmas 2012 I did this one and to be fair we all really enjoyed it, I would have picked at it for days, but my sister requested left overs to take home, so that she could pick! I don’t mind too much because money is tight for everyone and if I can afford to give her a little extra so that she can have something tasty too then why not……. I did miss having the cold ham in the fridge though that year. This recipe does take several hours to make and is probably best spread over the space of two days.

 

Festive Ham

3.5kg gammon

2l cranberry juice

2l apple juice

2 cinnamon sticks, halved

2 onions, halved but not peeled

1tsp juniper berries

2 star anise

For the glaze

4tbsp cranberry jelly

1tbsp runny honey

1tbsp English mustard powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1. Place the gammon in a large saucepan, cover it with cold water and bring it to a boil. Drain the water away and rinse the gammon under running cold water.
2. Put the gammon into a crock pot, along with the cranberry and apple juices, and all the spices, on a high setting and allow to cook for about 4 hours.
3. Remove the gammon from the crock and allow to cool completely. Then use a sharp knife to remove most of the fat, leaving a very thin layer over the ham. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F.
4. Score the fat into diamond shapes. Heat the remaining ingredients into a smooth glaze and let it boil into a syrupy like consistency.
5. Line a roasting pan with foil, put in the ham and pour the glaze over the top to cover the ham, baking for 40 minutes.

  

Cider Braised Sausages

I like to make even the simplest ingredients into something ’posh’! These sausages are just the posh nosh I am talking about. The good thing about this recipe is that once you’ve cooked everything in the skillet, you can pop it in the crock for later, or in a casserole dish and just leave it on the hob for an hour or so. I prefer the crock method, simply because it takes longer to cook, if you prep all the stuff and then stick it in the crock on those busy days when time is a rare commodity it’s just one less thing to worry about. It only takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare, then it goes in the crock. Hardly anytime at all and you have the rest of the day to get on with all the mundane chores, that need doing in the blissful knowledge that when the day is done, the most effort you are going to have to make to get dinner on the table is a side or two of your choice and to spoon it onto plates! Regardless though of whether you do it in the crockpot or the oven I think you’ll agree that this is a pretty good recipe. At least I hope you do.

Cider Braised Sausage Casserole

6 of your favourite sausages

425ml strong cider

1tbsp cider vinegar

2 large apples, cored and sliced into rings

1tbsp crushed juniper berries

2tbsp Olive oil

1 large onion peeled and sliced into rings

1-2 garlic cloves, depending on your taste, minced

225g smoked bacon, roughly chopped

1tbsp plain flour

1tsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

1.       Over a medium heat, in a large skillet (or casserole pot) heat 1tbsp of the oil and then brown the sausages. Once they are browned transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper.

2.       Add the onions, garlic and bacon to the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onions have softened and the bacon is starting to crisp. Throw away the kitchen paper and place your onions and bacon on the plate too.

3.       Next add the remaining tbsp. of oil to the skillet, when it is hot cook the apples, browning them on both sides, then put them in the crockpot with the other ingredients. Mix the flour with a little water, then add the cider, vinegar and flour mixture to the crock (or casserole) stir gently adding the herbs and seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on a low heat, can be left in the crockpot to do its thing for several hours, if you are using a casserole dish on the hob it will take about an hour. Serve with mashed potato and veggies of your choice.