I love ham; it reminds me of the Christmas holidays. Our huge whole ham leg takes up an entire shelf in the fridge. It’s so heavy at the start of the holiday but as the days pass, more of its bone is exposed and less of the family choose to partake; it’s only the die-hards left. I am a die-hard.
I remember camping when I was younger; we had a small gas refrigerator as our camp site (the same one for 13 years) didn’t have power. The shelves were removed and the ham took up the entire fridge. Our other perishable foods along with dad’s beer would be demoted to chilly bins packed with ice. We would have ham sandwiches for lunch and ham steaks on the gas BBQ for dinner, usually accompanied by sausages, fried potatoes and salad. I wonder how many times I have eaten that meal. I have since evolved to using the ham in risottos and pastas.
I played it safe with the finishing of this ham; I kept it simple, sweet and moist, which is perfect if you have plans for your ham beyond Christmas dinner i.e. the glaze won’t overpower your sandwich.
Keep watching for the next instalments of ‘An ode to ham’; a leftover ham torta and the best ham sandwich!
