Ham Hock And Soup Mix Food

HUMBLE HAM CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour; stir and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and half-and-half, bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• Peel and thinly slice the potatoes about 1/8 inch thick. Spread about 1 cup of the cream sauce in the bottom of the buttered baking dish. Layer with half of the potatoes, half of the cheddar and all of the ham. Spread with another cup of sauce. Layer the rest of the potatoes over the top, then add the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar, the breadcrumbs and parmesan.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake until the potatoes are just tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is browned and bubbly, 15 to 20 more minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC GLAZED HAM

Steps:

• Remove the ham from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Trim off any skin from the ham. Use a sharp paring knife to score through the fat in a diagonal crosshatch pattern without cutting through to the meat. Insert the cloves into the ham (if using), placing them at the intersections of the cuts.
• Put the ham, flat-side down, on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour 1/4 inch water into the bottom of the pan. Transfer to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham registers 130 degrees F, about 2 hours, 30 minutes (about 15 minutes per pound).
• Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Pour half of the Glaze (see below for glazes) over the ham and brush to coat. If the water in the bottom of the pan has evaporated, add more. Return the ham to the oven and roast, basting every 10 minutes with the remaining Glaze, until glossy and well browned, about 45 more minutes.
• Boil 2 cups apple cider in a saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low; add 1/2 cup each apple jelly and maple syrup, 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard, 1/2 teaspoon allspice and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
• Mix 1 cup light brown sugar, 3/4 cup dijon mustard and the grated zest and juice of 1 orange in a bowl.
• Toast 2 teaspoons five-spice powder in a small saucepan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon peanut oil, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup hoisin sauce, 3 tablespoons each honey and rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 cup water. Boil and reduce to 1 1/2 cups, about 5 minutes.
• Grate the zest of 2 limes; set aside. Squeeze the juice into a saucepan; add 8 thin slices ginger and 2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice. Boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Strain, then add the lime zest, 1 cup apricot preserves and 1/4 cup dijon mustard.

CLASSIC PINEAPPLE-APRICOT GLAZED HAM

Steps:

• For the ham: Remove the ham from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Trim off any skin from the ham. Use a sharp paring knife to score through the fat in a diagonal crosshatch pattern without cutting through to the meat. Insert the cloves into the ham, placing them at the intersections of the cuts (you may have some cloves left over).
• Put the ham, flat-side down, on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour 1/4 inch water into the bottom of the pan. Transfer to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham registers 130 degrees F, about 2 hours and 30 minutes (about 15 minutes per pound).
• Meanwhile make the glaze: Squeeze the lime juice into a small saucepan. Add the ginger and pineapple juice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Strain, then stir in the lime zest, apricot preserves and Dijon.
• Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Pour half the pineapple glaze over the ham and brush to coat. If the water in the bottom of the pan has evaporated, add more. Return the ham to the oven and roast, basting every 10 minutes with the remaining glaze, until glossy and well browned, about 45 minutes more.
• Let the ham rest for 15 minutes before carving. Carve the ham into slices and serve.

TANGERINE-GLAZED EASTER HAM WITH BABY CARROTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Put the ham in a large roasting pan, fat-side up. Using a sharp knife, score the ham with cuts across the skin, about 2-inches apart and 1/2-inch deep. Cut diagonally down the slashes to form a diamond pattern; season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Chop about 8 of the sage leaves and put it in a bowl; mix with the oil to make a paste. Rub the sage-oil all over the ham, being sure to get the flavor into all the slits. Bake the ham for 2 hours. Now there is plenty of time to bang-out the tangerine glaze.
• For the glaze: Place a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chunks of butter, tangerines, tangerine juice, brown sugar, water, and spices. Slowly cook the liquid down to a syrupy glaze; this should take about 30 to 40 minutes.
• After the ham has been going for a couple of hours, pour the tangerine glaze all over it, with the pieces of fruit and all. Scatter the remaining sage leaves on top and stick the ham back in the oven and continue to cook for 11/2 hours, basting with the juices every 30 minutes.
• Scatter the carrots around the ham and coat in the tangerine glaze. Stick the ham once again back in the oven and cook for a final 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender, the ham is dark and crispy, and the whole thing is glistening with a sugary glaze.
• Set the ham on a cutting board to rest before carving. Serve the carrots and tangerine glaze on the side.

CITY HAM

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250 degrees F.
• Remove ham from bag, rinse and drain thoroughly. Place ham, cut side down, in a roasting pan. Using a small paring knife or clean utility knife set to the smallest blade setting, score the ham from bottom to top, spiraling clockwise as you cut. (If you're using a paring knife, be careful to only cut through the skin and first few layers of fat). Rotate the ham after each cut so that the scores are no more than 2-inches across. Once you've made it all the way around, move the knife to the other hand and repeat, spiraling counter clockwise. The aim is to create a diamond pattern all over the ham. (Don't worry too much about precision here.)
• Tent the ham with heavy duty foil, insert a thermometer, and cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature at the deepest part of the meat registers 130 degrees F.
• Remove and use tongs to pull away the diamonds of skin and any sheets of fat that come off with them.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Dab dry with paper towels, then brush on a liberal coat of mustard, using either a basting brush or a clean paint brush (clean as in never-touched paint). Sprinkle on brown sugar, packing loosely as you go until the ham is coated. Spritz this layer lightly with bourbon, then loosely pack on as much of the crushed cookies as you can.
• Insert the thermometer (don't use the old hole) and return to the oven (uncovered). Cook until interior temperature reaches 140 degrees F, approximately 1 hour.
• Let the roast rest for 1/2 hour before carving.
• *Cook's note: A city ham is basically any brined ham that's packed in a plastic bag, held in a refrigerated case and marked "ready to cook", "partially cooked" or "ready to serve". Better city hams are also labeled "ham in natural juices".

SCALLOPED POTATOES AND HAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Add the butter and onions to a large skillet over medium heat and saute until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and whisk them together. Continue cooking the onion/flour mixture until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and milk and whisk around, allowing the mixture to thicken; this will take 3 to 4 minutes. Add some pepper, stir the sauce, reduce the heat and keep warm.
• Slice the potatoes really thin using a mandolin or a really sharp knife, the thinner the better. Generously butter a 2-quart baking dish, then add half the sliced potatoes and half the diced ham. Sprinkle on half the cheese then pour on half the sauce from the skillet. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients, ending with a layer of cheese and sauce. Sprinkle extra pepper on top.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake it for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until the cheese is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling, an additional 20 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired and serve it up.

HAM HOCK AND BEANS

Steps:

• In a medium Dutch oven with a lid, over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, sear the ham hocks in batches, until brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the ham hock and set aside. Add the onions. Season with pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the beans and bay leaves. Season with pepper. Saute for 1 minute. Add the reserved ham hocks and water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 2 hours, or until the meat falls of the bone and the beans are creamy. Remove the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.

THE BEST HAM GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Let the ham sit at room temperature for 30 minutes and trim off any skin. If your ham is not a spiral-cut ham, use a sharp paring knife to score through the fat in a diagonal crosshatch pattern without cutting through to the meat.
• Place the ham, flat side down, on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Pour 1 cup water into the pan. Bake until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham registers 130 degrees F, about 2 hours 30 minutes (about 15 minutes per pound-reduce the time to 10 minutes per pound for a spiral-cut ham).
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: Whisk the brown sugar, maple syrup, soy sauce, orange zest and juice, Dijon, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, onion powder and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium saucepan until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the glaze has thickened and reduced by half (you should have 1 cup glaze), 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside until the ham is ready.
• Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Brush half of the glaze over the ham. If the water in the bottom of the pan has evaporated, add 1 cup water. Return the ham to the oven and roast for 30 minutes, brushing with the remaining glaze every 10 minutes (two more times) before returning to the oven.
• Let the ham cool for 15 minutes before thinly slicing.