Many people choose ham for Easter dinner, so supermarkets stock up with myriad varieties and they compete with each other on price. This makes it a good time of year to buy it, even if you don’t celebrate Easter, or prefer to follow the alternate holiday tradition and have lamb.
The enticing deals on ham are worth going for because of all meats ham is probably the most versatile. A large roast ham, its golden glaze studded with cloves and perhaps pineapple or cherries makes a dazzling presentation for a crowd. Even better, ham generally yields lots of leftovers, including slices for sandwiches, a meaty bone for soup, and a hoard of little nuggets that can go into omelets, quiches, pasta sauces and anything you want to jazz up. Indeed, unlike turkey, which also generates leftovers, ham has striking flavors and can act almost like a condiment, so even small bits and shreds can zing a soup or a sauce with extra flavor.
The tradition of making the back legs of pigs into ham is widespread and goes back a long time. In the second century B.C., the Romans were enjoying the hams of both northern Italy and Gaul, a province that covered modern France and parts of Germany. China also has a long ham tradition. The historical reason for making ham, which is done by salting, and sometimes also smoking, is to preserve the meat. Typically, pigs were slaughtered in late fall, so long after the fresh meat was eaten, the hams would be available in the lean days of late winter and spring, when fields were still bare and winter supplies were running low. It is this custom that explains the popularity of ham at Easter. Quite simply, in many places ham was the only meat around.
Since the tradition of keeping at least one family pig was widespread over parts of Asia, most of Europe, and also eventually in America, different styles of ham developed. Factors affecting the flavor of ham include the curing methods and ingredients, storage practices, the breed of pig and how it was raised — on scraps, or foraging outdoors, or sadly nowadays, in a pen.
In parts of northern Europe where the weather is damp, dry storage was not always feasible so hams were hung in a chimney to smoke. In the hot south, hams could be air-cured. In Spain, which has a love affair with ham, country hams, called serrano ham, are traditionally stored for a year so the ham experiences the weather of each season. Nowadays, Spanish factories that process hams move them from room to room, each one with its moisture and heat controlled to imitate a season of the year. Like the Italian prosciutto, serrano ham is served raw in the filmiest of slices. So is Iberico ham, which is made in similar fashion but only from the black pigs of southwestern Spain that have grazed on acorns.
Hams came to America with European immigrants, who brought their favorite ways of preparing them. America has also developed its own ham-making techniques, including supermarket hams produced by methods that loosely follow various European traditions, and the Smithfield hams of Virginia. These prized hams are first coated in salt, sugar, and sodium nitrate (which helps preserve the pink color), then refrigerated for five days, salted again and refrigerated one day more for every pound of flesh. Afterward, they are washed, refrigerated for another two weeks, smoked for 10 days, then left to age for six to 12 months. Not surprisingly, like premium hams everywhere, they are expensive.
While the curing and storing method has a vital effect on the flavor of ham, so does cooking. The majority of hams are sold already cooked so they need little more cooking at home. Typically, producers recommend 15 minutes to the pound at 350 degrees. Checking package directions for timing is always best as it can vary depending on the size of the ham and whether it has a bone.
You can add personal touches to a ham, mostly in the form of a favorite glaze, but since they are cured and cooked before you buy, what you add is usually on the surface or as a garnish and has little effect on the taste of the interior of the ham.
Real creativity comes when you have leftovers to play with. You can range from the simplest reruns of the big meal, simply serving sliced ham with vegetables through teaming ham with cheese or tomatoes or avocado on sandwiches. You can toss it with pasta with perhaps mushrooms or broccoli, or team it with pineapple on a pizza or in a salad. For breakfast, you can add chopped bits to scrambled eggs, and for lunch you can use a ham bone as the basis of a traditional soup with lentils or dried peas, or use the recipe below for an emerald soup made with frozen or fresh peas and spinach. Like peas and spinach, asparagus tastes terrific with ham. So do many fruits including the apricots in the following classic Spanish.
These and the many other options with ham — and indeed its numerous forms — make it a convenient ingredient to have on hand, as well as a terrific centerpiece for a festive meal.
Ham with Sherry & Apricots, with Saffron Rice
Jamon al Jerez is a classic recipe in Spain, a country that treats ham with reverence, and which has innumerable ways of preparing it. Our word “sherry” comes from the Spanish town Jerez, where it is made, and where it is used in this dish. The traditional accompaniment is candied egg threads made by pouring beaten eggs through a sieve into boiling syrup so they become thin sweet strands. If serving this for brunch, replace them with scrambled eggs. Here, saffron rice, another Spanish favorite, has the same sunny color and completes the dish perfectly. This is an easy dish that you get a head start on by soaking the saffron, apricots, and rice.
For the ham:
18 (about 5 ounces) dried apricots
½ cup amontillado or cream sherry
1 large piece cooked boneless ham (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons butter at room temperature
For the saffron rice:
1 pinch saffron threads
1 cup basmati rice
1 small red pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus a few sprigs
Put the apricots in a bowl with a quarter cup of sherry. Add enough cold water to cover and set aside for to soak for 30-40 minutes, or until tender.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a shallow baking dish with a little of the butter. Rub the rest of the butter over the surface of the ham then put it in the baking dish. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Remove the ham and pour the remaining sherry on top. Arrange the apricots and their liquid around the ham. Bake for 35-40 minutes (or as long as the package directs), basting with the liquid every 10-15 minutes. Turn the apricots in the liquid to prevent them scorching. For serving, transfer to a heated platter, garnish with the apricots, and surround with the saffron rice (see below). Serve remaining liquid in a small pitcher.
Soak the saffron in half a cup of warm water for an hour or longer. Soak the rice in enough cold water to cover it plentifully for half an hour. Drain and rinse the rice. Cut the red pepper into half inch strips, discarding the seeds and white inner parts. Cut the strips across to make half-inch squares.
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the chopped onion and let it soften for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the drained rice, then the chopped red peppers, and finally the saffron and its liquid plus 1½ cups cold water and the salt. Bring to a boil and let the rice cook without further stirring for about 12 minutes or until most of the water has been absorbed and the surface of the rice is pitted with holes. Put on a lid. Turn off the heat, but leave the pan sitting on the heated burner for 8-10 minutes until the rice has absorbed the remaining liquid and is fluffy and tender. Stir in the chopped parsley. Arrange around the ham and apricots, adding springs of parsley to garnish.
Ham and Asparagus
Roll-ups in Cheese Sauce
This dish is an old classic, good at Easter when there is leftover ham, and equally during asparagus season. If your ham doesn’t conveniently roll round the asparagus, place it on top and pour the cheese sauce over it to make a layered dish that will taste just as good.
16 stalks asparagus, bottoms trimmed off
¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
8 thin slices ham
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1½ tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
Small pinch cayenne
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Drop the prepared asparagus into a shallow pan of boiling salted water. Cook for 2 minutes after the water returns to the boil. Drain and quickly rinse the asparagus in cold water. Pat dry. Turn the oven to 375 degrees. Light grease a rectangular baking dish.
Place the ham slices on a board and sprinkle each with about 1 teaspoon of the grated Cheddar. Put 2 stems on asparagus on top of each slice and roll up. Place them parallel in the prepared dish.
Melt the butter in a small pan. Off the heat, stir in the flour to make a paste. Add about a quarter cup of the milk and stir until smooth. Return to the heat and stir until the mixture thickens. Stir in all except 1 tablespoon of the Cheddar and 2 teaspoons of the Parmesan. Season with a pinch of cayenne. Salt may be unnecessary as the cheese is salty. Pour this sauce over the roll-ups. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and has a few patches of gold on top. Serve immediately.
Ham, Pea and
Spinach Soup
Using a meaty ham bone to make a stock for soup is a tradition. Dried peas are the most common companion because ham goes well with them. This soup is a variation using frozen peas and fresh spinach for brighter colors and flavor.
1 tablespoon oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 cups stock made from a ham bone or vegetables
2 cups frozen peas
½ cup chopped ham
1½ tablespoons rolled oats
2 leaves fresh mint
3 cups loosely packed baby spinach
Salt to taste
2-3 thin slices of ham cut in matchstick-size strips for garnish
In a large pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Stir in the onions and let them soften but not brown for 3-4 minutes. Pour in the stock. Add the peas, chopped ham, oats and mint leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until the peas are tender. Add the spinach, cook for just 30 seconds then remove from the heat.
Process in batches in a food processor or pass through a food mill. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Reheat to just below boiling then serve garnished with the strips of ham. Cheese is another possible garnish. If you prefer a chunky soup, simply serve it as soon as the spinach has wilted.
Ham and
Egg Croquettes
Easter celebrations usually leave hard-boiled eggs and ham in their wake. Here’s a way to combine them in tasty croquettes — good with a salad for lunch or vegetables for supper. Make the mixture well ahead of time, even the day before if you like, because it needs to set and chill before you coat it with the crumbs.
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1½ cups whole milk
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Pinch powdered cloves
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg or to taste
1½ cups finely chopped ham (about 5 ounces)
2 hard-boiled eggs, thoroughly chopped
Salt and red or white pepper to taste
About 3 tablespoons flour
About 1 cup panko or seasoned bread crumbs
Oil for frying
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with about a quarter cup of the milk. Heat the rest of the milk in a saucepan and when it boils stir it into the cornstarch mixture. Return this to the stove top and stir until very thick. (If the mixture is too thin it will be hard to make the croquettes, so make sure it is really thick.)
Remove from the heat and stir in the Worcestershire sauce, the cloves, or herbs, the nutmeg and the chopped ham and eggs. Mix well then taste. Add salt and either red or white pepper as you prefer. Spread this mixture into a shallow dish greased with butter so it forms a layer about an inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly for at least 2 hours.
When ready to proceed, cut through the mixture to divide it into 8-10 portions. Dust a chopping board with flour. Take each portion and roll it in the flour to form a log shaped croquette. Add more flour as needed. When all the portions are floured, have the panko or seasoned crumbs on a plate and roll the croquettes in them. Set aside to rest for about 15 minutes.
Heat a quarter-inch of oil in a frying pan and fry the croquettes over medium heat for about 8 minutes, turning them to brown all over. Serve immediately.
Potted Ham
In the 18th and 19th centuries, meals for the affluent were composed of many dishes. Often three or four baked meats would be served so there would be lots of leftovers and preserving them was important. One way was to pot them by making a paste with the meat, seasonings and butter, then packing it in a pot and sealing it with clarified butter to keep out the air. In a cool place, potted foods survived for several days. Now we have refrigerators, we can omit the clarified butter and seal with plastic wrap if we want. Since this recipe is designed for leftovers, the quantities are guidelines; use what you have. Typically potted meats were served at breakfast or on sandwiches. This potted ham is good on crackers too.
About 8 ounces leftover cooked ham, including a little fat
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) softened butter
1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
¼ teaspoon powdered mace or a pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Tiny pinch powdered cloves (optional)
Salt and white pepper to taste
2-3 small bay leaves (optional)
Extra butter (optional)
Cut the ham in small pieces and put them in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple of times. Now add the butter, brown sugar, mace, cloves if using, and a little salt and pepper. Process until smooth and taste. Adjust the flavor by adding more salt, pepper or spices. Lightly grease a small shallow dish with butter (ramekins can be a good choice). Pack the mixture into the dish or dishes and smooth the surface. Place the bay leaves on top. To store, press plastic wrap firmly over the surface and keep in the fridge. Alternately, to cover with clarified butter, gently melt a stick of butter and let it rest until the white fragments fall to the bottom. Pour the clear yellow liquid butter over the potted ham. Use for sandwiches or canapes.