Boiled Ham with Spinach

Ingredients

• a ham
• about two pounds of good hay
• properly seasoned home-cured hams should be soaked
• plenty of cold water
• some spinach ready on the fire
• half a pint of Madeira or sherry
• a little meat-glaze
• a small pinch of mignonette pepper
• a pint of Espagnole sauce

Method

1. 1

   Soak the ham in cold water for the appropriate time.

2. 2

   Wrap in hay and boil gently for about four hours.

3. 3

   Cool in the liquor, then trim and glaze before placing in a hot oven.

4. 4

   Serve with well-dressed spinach and Madeira sauce.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Practical household cookery (1891) by E. Duret, page 120. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

BOILED HAH WITH SPINACH. Care must be taken when about to cook a ham, after having previously sawn off the shank-bone and removed PRACTICAL HOUSEHOLD COOKERY. 277 the thigh-bone, that it should have soaked in plenty of cold water, the length of ' time depending entirely upon the age of the curing of the ham. Properly seasoned home- cured hams should be soaked for at least twenty-four hours ; foreign hams require to be soaked even longer, varying from twenty-four hours to four days and nights. Care, however, should be taken that the water is changed every morning and night. English hams easily yielding to the pressure of the hands are new, and in such cases a soak- ing of six hours will be quite sufficient. It is also advisable, when a ham is being soaked for several days, that its shiny surface should be scraped off every time the water is changed. When the ham has had its proper soaking, fold around it about two pounds of good hay; then put it in a large oval pot or stewpan, with plenty of cold water; cover the pan and boil and simmer very gently on a slow fire for about four hours, or till it is done, according to the size of the ham. When the ham is done take the pan to a cool place, leaving it to soak in the hay liquor for about three-quarters of an hour, by which means it will retain the whole of its moisture ; if taken out of the pan to get cold, all its richness exudes from it. The ham, having thus partially cooled, must be taken out, put on a dish, and trimmed. Divest it of the rind to within four inches from the knuckle-bone, then with a sharp knife trim the part of rind left, in the shape of either leaves, palms, squares, or ovals, arranged in a fan-like form. Trim the fat of the ham smooth, without however removing more of it than is actually necessary to give a neat appearance ; after which, put it on a baking-sheet in the hot oven, for ten or twelve minutes, then wipe the surface with a clean cloth, glaze with a brush, and return it to the hot oven for about five minutes. Meanwhile have some spinach ready on the fii*e ; dish up the ham and garnish with well-dressed spinach, 278 PRACTICAL HOUSEHOLD COOKERY. placed round it in tablespoonfuls, and serve with Madeira sauce made as follows : — Put half a pint of Madeira or sherry in a stewpan, with a little meat-glaze and a small pinch of mignonette pepper. Boil on a brisk fire for ^ve minutes; add a pint of Espagnole sauce

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