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."
Anthea
Turner
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.
Takes
20 minutes per 450g / ½ kg (1lb) plus 20 minutes.
Takes
20 minutes per 450g / ½ kg (1lb) plus 20 minutes.
