Boiled Ham

Ingredients

• a ham
• three carrots
• a head of celery
• three Bombay onions
• a clove of garlic
• a dozen whole peppers
• some pieces of lime peel
• bunches of parsley
• bunches of thyme
• bunches of marjoram
• a bottle of Madeira or Marsala

Method

1. 1

   Soak the ham for 24 hours, changing the water three times.

2. 2

   Scrub and trim the ham, then place it in a kettle covered with cold water.

3. 3

   Add Madeira or Marsala for a festival.

4. 4

   Bring to a gentle boil, removing scum.

5. 5

   Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic, peppers, lime peel, parsley, thyme, and marjoram.

6. 6

   Boil until vegetables are done, then simmer gently for 4-5 hours.

7. 7

   Let it cool, then remove the skin and dredge with fine crust raspings or pounded baked crumbs.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Culinary jottings (1885) by A. R. Kenney-Herbert, page 66. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

a clove of garlic, a blade of mace, a few cloves, some whole peppers, and the peel of a lime, should always go into the pot with a boiling fowl. Unless you have tried them, you have no idea how these things improve the taste of boiled joints. It is a very capital plan to hoil a foicl in the soup-stocJi'. Herein you have the true essence of economy — no waste. The soup gains all the fowl loses in the boiling, whilst the fowl derives richness and flavour by being done in the stock. One lot of vegetables and herbs suflices for both, and absolutely nothing is thrown away but the muslin bag BOILING AND STEAMING. 117 which contained the spices, garlic, &c.* I need hardly remind you that in suggesting this to RamasamY you will meet with opposition. He will tell you, in all probability, that " mixted the fowl and soup-meat, cannot come the good taste," and when you insist upon a trial, he will go away sorrowful, for the broth produced in boiling a fowl in the ordinary way, is his perquisite (or rather we do not ask for it) and " mixted with rice only," makes, with a chilli or two, a bowl of " pish-pash." Xevertheless, the fact exists beyond a doubt that a fowl is vastly improved by being thus cooked : it remains for you to decide whe- ther, as a matter of policy, it would be wise to vex " your best friend" by ordering so great an innovation. I confess that the man who, with his eyes open, wars against his chef, is generally the loser before the campaign is ended. Time in boiling meat can scarcely be fixed arbitrarily. If you follow the advice I have given, you will find fifteen to twenty minutes per pound a reliable allowance. Dis- cretion and experience will enable you to decide what orders to give. Large and deep joints such as humps, legs of mutton and of pork, silverside of beef, and hams, will naturally require a more liberal allowance than fowls, tongues, galantines, bacon, rabbits, &c. There are few things that are boiled as important as the ham. So much depends on the cook's knowledge of the process, that many a ham is spoiled through ignorance. I think it advisable, therefore, to give you the following- rules which I hope will be found easy enough : It is of course a sine qua non that you soak the ham for twenty -four hours, changing the water at least three times (I am speaking of hams in canvas, or skin, not of those in * Tlie fowl should not be put into the soup-kettle until all skim- ming has been completed, and the soup brought to the boil. — W. 118 CULINARY JOTTINGS FOR MADRAS. tins) ; when thus well soaked, scrub the ham well, and trim it, scraping off all discolorations. Now, place it in your ham-kettle, and cover it with cold water (for a festival a bottle of Madeira or Marsala should be poured in with the water) and let it come gently to the boil, removing all scum that may rise. When quite clear, throw in three carrots, a head of celery cut up (leaves and all), three Bombay onions, a bag containing a clove of garlic, a dozen whole peppers, and some pieces of lime peel, with bunches of parsley

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.