Country Ham Ragout W Fried Green Tomatoes Goat Cheese Recipes

FRIED GREEN TOMATO SLIDERS WITH GOAT CHEESE MAYO AND TOMATILLO-BACON RELISH

Steps:

• For the relish: Combine the tomatillos, onions, lime juice, cilantro and oil in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the bacon just before serving.
• For the mayo: Whisk the mayonnaise and goat cheese together in a bowl until well combined. Season with pepper.
• For the fried green tomatoes: Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Season the green tomatoes on both sides with salt and pepper. Put the flour, eggs and cornmeal in separate shallow dishes. Season all three with salt and pepper, and the eggs with the hot sauce.
• Heat a few inches of oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until beginning to shimmer (drop in a few grains of cornmeal -- they should sizzle) or a deep-frying thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Dredge the green tomatoes in the flour, tap off the excess, then dip in the egg wash. Let the excess drip off, then dredge in the cornmeal.
• Fry the green tomatoes in batches until golden brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on the prepared rack and season with a bit more salt.
• Spread a teaspoon of goat cheese mayo on the top and bottom buns. Place a fried green tomato on the bottom buns, top with relish and serve.

COUNTRY HAM

Steps:

• Unwrap ham and scrub off any surface mold (if you hung in a sack for 6 months you'd have mold too). Carefully remove hock with hand saw. (If this idea makes you eye your first aid kit, ask your butcher to do it. But make sure you keep the hock, it's the best friend collard greens ever had.)
• Place ham in cooler and cover with clean water. (As long as it's not too dirty you can use what southerners call the "hose pipe"). Stash the cooler in the bushes. If it's summer, throw in some ice. If it's freezing out, keep the cooler inside. Change the water twice a day for two days turning the ham each time.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place ham in a large disposable turkey-roasting pan and add enough Dr. Pepper to come about halfway up the side of the ham. Add pickle juice if you've got it and tent completely with heavy-duty foil. Cook for 1/2 hour then reduce heat to 325 degrees F, and cook another 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn the ham over, insert an oven safe thermometer (probe-style is best) and cook another 1 1/2 hours, or until the deepest part of the ham hits 140 degrees F (approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound total).
• Let rest 1/2 hour then slice paper-thin. Serve with biscuits or soft yeast rolls.
• Cooks note: Even after soaking, country ham is quite salty, so thin slicing is mandatory. If you're a bacon fan, however, cut a thicker (1/4-inch) slice and fry it up for breakfast.

GRILLED BRIE AND GOAT CHEESE WITH BACON AND GREEN TOMATO

Steps:

• Place the bacon in a large skillet or griddle and cook until golden brown and crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Break each piece into fourths and set aside.
• Heat a cast iron griddle or cast iron pan over medium heat.
• Spread butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. Layer 4 of the slices of the bread with 3 to 4 slices of brie, 2 tomato slices, watercress, 2 slices goat cheese, and 4 slices of broken up bacon and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the remaining bread slices on top, butter side up and cook on the griddle until golden brown on both sides and the brie has melted.

BAKED TOMATOES WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Slice off the tops of 4 large beefsteak tomatoes; scoop out the seeds and some of the flesh. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Fill each tomato with 1 ounce crumbled goat cheese. Combine 1/2 cup panko, 2 tablespoons each olive oil, grated Parmesan and chopped parsley, 1 grated garlic clove, 1 teaspoon each fresh thyme and grated lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; sprinkle on the tomatoes. Bake at 450˚ F until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

COUNTRY HAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
• Set ham into the prepared roasting pan and pierce several times with a fork.
• Stir brown sugar, peach preserves, and mustard together in a bowl; spread over the ham. Cover the ham with a sheet of aluminum foil.
• Roast ham in preheated oven, basting regularly, for 90 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil cover and continue baking until hot in the center, 30 to 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C).

HOW TO COOK A COUNTRY HAM

Steps:

• Scrub ham thoroughly with a stiff brush.
• Place ham in large pot or pan--even a cooler will work. Cover it completely with water and allow to soak for 24 hours, (discard water).
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Put ham in large roaster fat side up and again cover completely with water. place in oven on lowest shelf and bake for 2 hours. Turn ham to other side and cook another 2 hours. It takes 4 to 41/2 hours in all or 15 to 18 minutes per pound for a good tender ham.
• Remove ham from oven, but leave in water overnight (do NOT refrigerate).
• The next day preheat oven to 425°F.
• Remove and discard ham skin. Sprinkle fat with ground cloves.
• Combine sugar with enough vinegar to make a paste and brush on ham. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes; let rest for 1 hour out of the oven, then slice and serve.