Sunday, January 03, 2010

BAKING A HAM IN SICILY

OK, at the end of the festive season I admit it: if there's one Christmassy aroma I miss, it's that of a clove-studded, glazed ham baking away in the oven.

Italian hams are cured in a different way to British ones, and you cannot buy the equivalent of a gammon joint to soak, boil, glaze and bake yourself [not that the soaking is strictly necessary any more]. You can, however, get cooked ham which is similar to the British variety so I didn't see why I shouldn't glaze one of these joints, or part of one. I talked to Mr T in the deli about it and he didn't see why it shouldn't be possible either. He brought out a whole new Prague ham, said he would cut off as much as I wanted and then set the rest on his cold counter. That was an offer I could not refuse and so I purchased my ham.

The ham did not have a lot of fat on the top to score, but I have found this to be the case with a lot of small British gammon joints, too. Anyway, I did my best, stuck the cloves in and cobbled together a glaze from my homemade cranberry sauce, some marmalade made by a friend and, well, it would have been a pity to waste that amarena syrup from the jar of Amarena Fabbri I used for my "chocolate thingies" the other day, wouldn't it? The cooking smell was seasonal and friendly, the finished ham looked almost like the "real" thing and it tastes just fine:





And now I'm done with nostalgia for another year....

14 comments:

CalumCarr said...

"And now I'm done with nostalgia for another year...."

I bet you're not! :)

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

I think that is just as good. Arni did ours and don't forget, when you boil it, it is cooked anyway...!!

J. M. P. said...

Wow, it has to be delicious. Bon appetit!
I've just read your replay in Twitter, I'm glad that the widget finally corrected itself. Have you checked your Twitter stats? You can do it by clicking on your photo on the widget. Not that it's useful, it's just funny.

Anonymous said...

Blwyddyn newydd Da xx
love the pictures

Nunyaa said...

I have never had a baked ham. This shall be a year of new beginnings and perhaps I will try this next Christmas :)

Eurodog said...

Happy New year to you and to Simi.

Claude said...

I love all your posts, but your food posts always filled me with hunger, and (thankfully) the ambition to emulate your masterpieces. I never totally succeed with the appearances, but it always tastes very good. I'm grateful. Next step: Baking a Ham à-la-Welshcakes in Toronto. All the best, Sicilian friend!:)

CherryPie said...

My Mum and Dad do a mean Ham :-)

You are getting me all nostalgic too!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

You're probably right, Calum! Thanks, Anne. That's true! Thanks, fullet. I'll have a look at the stats now. Happy New Year to you too, VM. xx Hi, Nunyaa. Yes, try it next time! It's not as extravagant as it seems as there's no waste. Grazie, WW e buon anno. Happy New Year from us to you and Belle, Eurodog. Thank you, Claudia. That's very good to know. It's the taste that counts! Happy New Year and happy ham-baking!

Maria said...

as always looks yummy!! i loveeeeeeeeeee cranberry sauce!

Unknown said...

Hi my friend

I think it's a delicious ham.
I wish you, that 2010 will be one of the best year in your life.

Kisses

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, Marie. Thank you and Buon'Epifania. x Hi, Kinha. That's very kind of you. Buon'Epifania.x

Ellee Seymour said...

My father-n-law always cooks a lovely ham for us each Xmas. I know what you miss about those aromas.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, Ellee. It's such a warm, comforting aroma, I think.

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