Glorious
Gammon this Festive Season Watch the video with Anthea Turner for
some inspiration this Christmas
"It's funny - when I think about Christmas
I can almost smell it! The heady pine scent of the
tree, the spicy cinnamon and clove of the mulled wine
- it's an utter delight to the senses! But for me
there's nothing that conjures up the spirit of the
season quite like the heavenly aroma of a big gammon
joint roasting in the oven. Rich and mouth-wateringly
indulgent it promises forthcoming praise for the cook
(that's me) and of course, happy sighs of contentment
from family and friends. What it also promises though
is a day off (well virtually). For if you're lucky
enough to have any leftovers, gammon is so versatile
it can be easily whipped up into something fabulous
tomorrow.
It's no secret I'm a bit of a perfectionist. When
I'm buying gammon I want to be sure that what I'm
buying has been produced to stringent quality and
welfare standards. That's why I'll be choosing Quality
Standard Gammon for my festive table. It's glorious."
As many a chef knows, Christmas is not just one day
every year – the festive season lasts a fortnight
with people coming over in the lead up to Christmas,
Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, forcing
you to keep variety in mind when it comes to planning
your meals and serving food to your guests.
A different choice in meat can make all the difference
- you want to entice your friends and family with something
new and exciting. So why not choose Quality Standard
Gammon. It is a popular meat for the festive period,
not least because it is incredibly versatile and so
easy to cook. It is available in a variety of glazes,
smokes or cures which all go to make a delicious roast.
But equally it is also great when used to create a variety
of tasty meals which means you can offer something to
please everyone’s taste buds.
In the following video, TV presenter Anthea Turner
shows you how to prepare a simple clementine relish
with ginger beer-basted gammon, as well as delicious
left-over dishes such as Ham Thai green broth or Gammon,
Cranberry and Chestnut Tart that will continue to surprise
your guests throughout the festive season.
For written instructions please scroll
down the page
BUYING YOUR GAMMON
A
good quality gammon joint should be moist and a healthy
pink colour, not grey or red. The fat itself should
be firm and white. Avoid anything that looks clammy
or has oily or chalky looking fat. Best of all, look
for the Quality Standard Mark
How much do you need? As an approximate guide allow 100g (4oz) per person
when buying boneless joints and 170g - 225g (6oz -
8oz) per person when buying bone-in joints. This isn't
allowing any for luscious leftovers though!
Smoked or Unsmoked? Essentially this comes down to personal preference,
a smoked joint will have a stronger more intense flavour.
Look for gammon smoked over wood chippings - the use
of different woods (eg Oak, Maple or Cherry) imbues
the gammon with subtle flavour differences. If you
like to add your own flavours using a glaze whilst
the gammon cooks, an unsmoked joint may be a better
choice
Boil or Bake? Either or a combination of the two. Weigh the
joint and work out the cooking time. 20 minutes per
450g / ½kg (1lb) plus 20 minutes.
You can boil for all of the cooking time or do half
and half. Baking in the oven for the last half of
the cooking time will give a lovely caramelised appearance
to the fat, especially if you add something sugary
in the last 15 minutes. Marmalade, Maple syrup or
Honey all work well.
ROASTED GAMMON WITH GINGER BEER, GINGER GLAZE AND
CLEMENTINE RELISH
Takes
20 minutes per 450g / ½ kg (1lb) plus 20 minutes.
Ingredients
1 good quality dry curedgammon joint
1 x 330ml can ginger beer
30ml (2 tbsp) Ginger preserve
Clementine Relish:
5ml (1 tsp) Oil
1 Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Clementines, peeled and broken into segments
30ml (2tbsp) Brown sugar
15ml (1tbsp) Ginger preserve
45ml (3tbsp) Orange juice
Method
Double
line a large roasting pan with foil.
Place
joint in roasting pan, pour over ginger beer.
Cover
with foil and carefully put in oven for calculated
cooking time.
Remove
pan from oven and carefully remove joint.
Tip
off juice and discard.
Remove
the rind and score the fat into diamonds.
Brush
with ginger preserve.
Return
to the roasting pan, but line with foil.
Bake
for 10 -15 minutes until glaze is golden brown.
Clementine
Relish:
Place
onion in a small pan with oil and cook for a couple
of minutes.
Add
remaining ingredients and simmer with lid on for about
10 minutes until onion is soft and liquid syrupy.
Serve
gammon hot with a selection of roasted vegetables
and a spoonful of Clementine relish. Also
delicious cold!
CIDER ROASTED GAMMON WITH CALVADOS AND APPLES
Takes
20 minutes per 450g / ½ kg (1lb) plus 20 minutes.
Double
line a large roasting pan with foil. Place joint in
roasting pan and pour over the cider, apple sauce,
calvados and add whole apples.
Place
another piece of foil on top and roast in oven.
Baste
and turn joint over half way through cooking time.
Remove
joint carefully from oven. Remove rind from joint
and score the fat. Baste the joint with the juice
and sprinkle the fat with sugar and return to oven
for further 10 - 15 minutes to brown.
The
juices can be used as a sauce, but taste first as
they may need a spoonful of brown sugar depending
on the saltiness of the joint.
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been told that you have to be on Facebook if you are anyone
Hub-UK now has a Facebook page. . . not sure whether it is a
good idea or not. Perhaps you can surprise us by taking a look,
leaving a comment or two and clicking on the Like button.
Takes
20 minutes per 450g / ½ kg (1lb) plus 20 minutes.
Takes
20 minutes per 450g / ½ kg (1lb) plus 20 minutes.
