Hairy Bikers Ham Hock Food

HAM HOCK COLCANNON

Steps:

• Peel and cut the potatoes into even, medium-sized chunks. Put in a large pan filled with cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 10-15 mins until a knife can be inserted into the potatoes easily.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, cabbage, spring onions and some seasoning. Stir occasionally until the cabbage is wilted but still retains a little bite, then set aside.
• Drain the potatoes, leave to steam-dry for a couple of mins, then mash with the cream, mustard and seasoning in the same saucepan. Stir in the cabbage and ham hock. Keep warm over a low heat.
• Reheat the pan you used to cook the cabbage (no need to wash first), add a splash of oil, crack in the eggs and fry to your liking. To serve, divide the colcannon between bowls and top each with a fried egg.

HONEY-GLAZED GAMMON

Steps:

• Place the gammon joint into a large lidded saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Drain the water from the saucepan, add fresh cold water, the onions, carrots, celery, bay and peppercorns and bring to the boil once more. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer the gammon and vegetables gently for 20 minutes per 500g/1lb 2oz. (If your pan is not quite large enough to cover the joint completely, turn the gammon over halfway through the cooking time.)
• Remove the gammon from the water and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. (The cooking liquid can be strained and reserved for making soup for another time.)
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and line a large roasting tin with kitchen foil.
• Use a small knife to remove the rind from the gammon joint, leaving as much of the fat intact as possible. Score the fat in a diamond pattern, and push a clove into the centre of each 'X'.
• Place the gammon into the foil-lined roasting tray, ensuring that the sides of the foil come halfway up the joint to contain any roasting juices.
• For the glaze, mix the honey and mustard together and brush half of it evenly over the gammon, including one side of the joint. Roast in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes, then take the joint out and brush the top and remaining side with the rest of the glaze. Return the gammon to the oven for a further 10- 15 minutes, rotating the tin so that the opposite side of the gammon faces the back of the oven.
• The gammon is ready when the fat on top is glossy and golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if the top begins to look too brown. Remove the gammon from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
• Pour any juices that have collected in the kitchen foil into a small pan, and warm through gently.
• Carve the gammon, serve on a large platter and spoon over the warmed juices .

HONEY & MUSTARD HAM HOCK PIE WITH FLAKY CHEESE PASTRY

Steps:

• For the pastry, wrap the butter in foil and place in the freezer the night before you need it. Put the ham hocks, bay leaves and peppercorns in a large pan. Cover with water and a lid, and simmer for 3 hrs or until really tender - you may need to top up the water level during cooking. (Alternatively, cook in a slow cooker for 6-8 hrs.) Leave to cool in the liquid, then chill overnight if you have time.
• To make the pastry, tip the flour into a big bowl with 1/2 tsp salt and the mustard powder. Hold the butter block in the foil (peeling back a little at a time as you need to) and coarsely grate straight into the bowl of flour, dipping the end of the butter into the flour every so often - this helps to stop all the butter clumping together. Grate in the cheese too. Use a cutlery knife to lightly stir together, then stir in 175-200ml cold water to bring the dough together. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for 8 mins or until just cooked, then drain. Melt the butter in another large pan and add the shallots. Cook gently for 10-15 mins until tender and golden, shaking the pan now and then to roll them around in the butter. While they cook, drain the ham hocks, reserving the cooking liquid - the meat should be nice and tender. Shred with two forks, discarding the fat and bones.
• When the shallots are tender, scoop them out of the pan and add to the ham. Add the flour and mustard powder to the butter, stirring around the pan to make a paste. Cook for 1-2 mins, then splash in a little of the milk, stirring until smooth. Continue adding the milk, bit by bit, stirring well after each addition, until you have a very thick, smooth sauce. Add enough of the ham's cooking liquid to thin the sauce to a double cream consistency, about 300ml. Taste and season with pepper - it should be salty enough from the ham stock, but add a little extra if it needs it. Stir in the ham, potatoes, shallots, wholegrain mustard, honey and parsley, then leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and place a baking sheet on the middle shelf to heat up. Remove the pastry from the fridge. Divide into 2 balls, one a little larger than the other - keep the smaller one wrapped until later. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the large ball of dough to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use this to line the base of a 23cm metal pie plate or shallow cake tin. Fill with the pie filling, then brush the edges with a little beaten egg. Roll out the remaining pastry, lay over the top, then trim the excess. Crimp the sides of the pie, if you like. Brush with more egg wash and poke 2 steam holes in the top with a sharp knife. Place the pie on the hot baking sheet and bake for 45-50 mins until crisp and golden. Serve piping hot with green veg and gravy, if you like.

HAM HOCK & LENTILS

Steps:

• Before starting the cooking process, first blanch the hocks to rinse away any impurities. To do this, just put the joints in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute, then carefully move the pan to the sink and drain off the hot water. Refresh the hams under cold running water for a minute or so, then tip out the water.
• The cooking process can now begin. To the blanched hams in the pan, add the onion quarters, along with the quartered carrots and the celery sticks, the thyme and bay leaf. Pour in enough fresh cold water to cover and bring to a simmer. The pan can now be covered with its lid and the hams cooked, keeping the liquor at a gentle simmer for 3 hours.
• To check if hams are cooked, pull out the small bone close to the large one - it should be loose and come out easily. Rest hams in the stock for 15-20 minutes (30 minutes, ideally), so the meat softens and relaxes. Lift out the hams and set aside until cool enough to handle. Strain off 900ml/1½ pint ham stock into a jug and set aside. Reserve leftover stock.
• Now prepare the lentils. First blanch them by plunging them into a pan of boiling water, then drain into a sieve and refresh under the cold tap. This process not only rinses the lentils well, but it also speeds up the entire braising process.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the diced onion, carrot and celery, cover the pan and cook without colouring for 5-6 minutes. Tip in the blanched lentils, then pour in 900ml/1½ pint strained stock. Bring the lentils to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes - check occasionally and top up with more stock if needed - until tender. I prefer the braised lentils to have quite a loose final consistency without being over watery.
• About 10 minutes before the lentils are ready, strip off the skin and fat from the hams with a knife, then remove the meat from the bones and cut it into rough pieces or shred it with your fingers. To serve, add the shredded ham and the coarsely chopped parsley to the lentils, and season with a twist of pepper. If you think you need a little more liquid, simply stir in an extra ladle or two of strained stock.

FINNISH SPLIT PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Put the split peas in a bowl with the bicarbonate of soda. Cover with cold water and leave to soak overnight.
• Put the ham hock in a large saucepan, cover it with 1½-2 litres/2½-3½ pints cold water and bring to the boil. As soon as it has reached boiling point remove from the heat. Drain, wash the ham hock and the pan to get rid of any starchy foam.
• Put the ham back in the pan and cover with water again. Add the whole onion studded with cloves, mace and bay leaves to the pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for an hour.
• Rinse the split peas and put in a saucepan, bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Drain the peas and add to the ham hock pan along with the chopped onion and carrot. Simmer until the peas are tender, this should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Top up with more water if needed.
• Remove the ham hock, whole onion, bay and mace. Break up the ham hock, discarding the skin and bone and pull the meat into pieces.
• Add the mustard to the soup and season with salt and pepper. Use a stick blender to blend to a rough purée, add the ham hock meat back into the soup and warm through.
• Lightly whip the cream, if using, and fold gently into the soup. Serve with chunky bread.

CHRISTMAS HAM

Steps:

• Put the gammon in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then drain. Rinse off any white starch from both the ham and the saucepan, then return the ham to the saucepan. Cover with water again.
• Stud the onion with the cloves, and add to the pan with all the remaining ingredients.
• Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 2-2½ hours, or until the ham is cooked through - the internal temperature should reach 68C/154F (you can use a meat thermometer to check). Remove from the heat and either leave to cool in the liquor or immediately transfer to a work surface.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• To prepare the gammon for glazing, cut off the string and cut away the outer rind, leaving at least half the thickness of fat underneath attached to the ham. Score a diamond pattern on the fat and stud cloves into each corner.
• To make the glaze, blend the cherry conserve using a food processor or hand-held blender to get it as smooth as possible, then put it in a saucepan with the bourbon, ginger, sugar and cinnamon.
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon. Brush the glaze over the ham, making sure you use it all.
• Place the ham in a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until it is well browned. Serve in slices.

CHERRY-GLAZED HAM HOCK RECIPE

Steps:

• Put the ham hock and Cherry Coke in a slow cooker and cook on low for up to 5 hours, until the meat is very tender.
• Remove the ham from the slow cooker. Either discard the Coke-stock, or reserve to reduce and use as a sauce for another recipe.
• With a sharp knife, remove the skin and any chunks of fat.
• Transfer the ham to a roasting tin. Score the flesh of the meat then spread cherry jam all over the joint.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Bake the glazed ham for 20-30 mins, until the glaze becomes even stickier and thick.
• Transfer the ham to a serving plate and leave to rest for a few minutes. Use a knife and fork to tear it into chunks. Reserve the bones to make a stock for pea soup.

CHICKEN & HAM CASSEROLE WITH MUSTARDY DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Heat the oil and butter in an ovenproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the onion, leeks and carrots and a pinch of salt, and fry gently for 10 mins until softened and translucent. Add the chicken, turn up the heat and fry for 5 mins. Pour in the cider, cook for 3 mins, then pour in the chicken stock and add the bunch of thyme. Bring to a simmer, season to taste, then reduce to a low heat and cover the pan. Cook for 30 mins.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan gas 4. Make the dumplings by mixing together the flour, baking powder, mustard powder, the suet or butter, parsley and ½ tsp salt. Swiftly mix in 8-10 tbsp of water and bring together with your hands. The dough should be firm and pliable. Divide into eight equal-sized pieces, weighing for accuracy if you like.
• Remove the bunch of thyme from the stew and discard. Spoon a little of the liquid into a bowl and mix with the cornflour, then stir the mixture into the casserole. Add the ham hock, peas and mustard. Arrange the dumplings on top of the stew, then put in the oven, covered, for 30 mins. Remove the lid and cook for a further 10 mins until the dumplings are puffed up and golden brown. Serve in bowls. To freeze the stew, leave to cool completely, then transfer to a freezerproof container. Will keep for up to three months. Defrost thoroughly, then reheat until piping hot.

MUSTARD & CLEMENTINE GLAZED HAM HOCKS

Steps:

• The day before, soak the ham hocks in water overnight in the fridge, to draw out some of the salt (they may have already been soaked by the butcher, so check first).
• The next day, drain the hocks and pat them dry. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Mix the allspice, nutmeg and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper together and rub into the hocks. Put them in a deep roasting tin with the clementines, cut-side up . Tuck the star anise and bay around the hocks, and pour in 200ml water. Cover the tin in foil and roast for 3 hrs.
• Remove the tin from the oven and increase the heat to 180C/ 160C fan/gas 4. Unwrap the tin and drain off the liquid. Squeeze the juice from the clementines over the hocks and return the juiced halves to the tin. Mix the Dijon, treacle and sugar in a bowl and paint half the glaze all over the hocks. Return to the oven for 15-20 mins, turning and brushing with the remaining glaze every 5 mins until the hocks are burnished and caramelised in places. Shred or slice the meat and eat warm or cold. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to five days (and make the best sarnies!)