Tuesday, 1 November 2011

HAM WITH COCA-COLA

This delicious recipe comes from Nigella Lawson, although I heard about it on one of the cookery programs and found it on the web.  The picture (from Nigella's web page – thank you Nigella) doesn't really do the Ham justice ... it is MUCH more delicious and gooey than it looks here.  One of Jack's friends says it is one of the best meats he has ever eaten, so I never tell him there's some in the fridge when we've cooked it!  However, as Nigella points out, no-one who cooks it, cooks it just once; it ALWAYS "earns a place in every repertoire". 

INGREDIENTS:
  • 2kg mid-cure (smoked or unsmoked – your choice) gammon
  • 1 onion, peeled and halved
  • 2-litre bottle of Coca Cola
FOR THE GLAZE:
  • Handful of cloves
  • 1 heaped teaspoon of something sweet and sticky:  the recipe (Nigella's) states black treacle, but I have used maple syrup (my favourite), honey or golden syrup – they all work equally well
  • 2 teaspoons of English mustard powder
  • 2 tablespoons of demerara sugar (or whatever brown sugar you have)
METHOD:
  • Put the ham into a pan, skin side down if it fits, add the onion and pour over the Coke
  • Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and put the lid on and cook for about 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours
  • Preheat the oven to 240ºC/gas mark 9
  • Remove the ham from the pot and, when it has cooled slightly, remove the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat.  Score the fat with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes and stud each diamond with a clove (although my children don't like too much clove - they say it's too dominating).  Carefully spread the treacle (or whatever) over the clove-studded skin, then gently pat the mustard and sugar on to the sticky fat.  
  • Cook in the hot oven in a foil-lined roasting tin for approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until the glaze is burnished and bubbly.
  • Alternatively, let it cool then put it in a cooler oven (180ºC/gas mark 4) for 30-40 minutes, turning up the heat towards the end if you think it needs it.


http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/ham-in-coca-cola-171

    No comments:

    Post a Comment