COOKING THE HAM.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2521, 21 December 1922, Page 4

COOKING THE HAM.

To boil a bam, you require glaze or browned bread crumbs, 2 carrots, 1 bay leaf, a bunch of herbs. Soak the ham in luke-warm water for 12 hours, changing the water about two or three times. If the ham be very hard, or salt, it should be soaked for 24 | hours. Scrape and remove all rus- ; ty and discoloured portions. Put it into a large pan, with cold water to cover, bring to the boil, and skim and then add the cleaned and sliced carrots and herbs. Simmer very ' gently until, cooked, allowing 25 minutes to the pound, and 25 minutes over. An old'hunr’requires 28 to 30 minutes per When cooked, if the ham is not likely to be kept for some time, leave it in the water until cold, as tliis\improves the 11av- ' our, tho\igh the ham does not keep quite so well. Remove the rind and trim the fat neatly then either brush it over with glaze or sprinkle thiek'lv with bread crumbs. . In the latter case, put the ham into the oven for a few minutes, as this softens the

surface fat, and the‘crumbs adhere better. Fasten a paper frill round the knuckle, and garnish with parsley. A glazed ham is often decorated''with leaves and motifs cut out of aspic jelly, or it may be decorated; with fancy shapes of white of egg and truffles. Sometimes a design in creamed butter is piped on the ham through a forcing bag. —A very mellow flavour is. given to the ham by adding a pint of cider or ale to the water in which it is boiled. To roast a bam, soak it before hand as described, then put into a large pan, cover with cold water, boil up slowly and let it simmer for an hour. Take it out of Ibe sauce, pan, di’ain it well; put into a large deep earthen pau, and pour over it one pint of s-hcrry; add 3 large onions, peeled and cut in halves, 4 carrots, cut small, and about 12 peppercorns. Cover with a cloth, i and leave until the next day, turning the ham every two hours, so that it becomes soaked in the liquor When ready to roast, drain it thoroughly, for about 3J hours. V ben done, l’emove the skin, glaze (he ham; boil up the gravy, and strain if over the ham. This is rather a costly dish, but a very delicious one.