Stuffed Company Ham With Chutney Baked Pears Recipes

STUFFED HAM, SOUTHERN MARYLAND STYLE

Steps:

• If corning the ham: Cut slits about 3 inches deep in a few places around the bone. Push salt into the incisions and, with a light hand, rub salt all over the surface of the ham. Reserve any remaining salt to rub into the ham as it corns, adding more if needed later in the process. Place the ham in a nonreactive pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and place it in refrigerator for a week. Unwrap and turn it every couple of days, sprinkling with more reserved salt and pouring off any juice that collects each time. Rewrap. The day before you are going to stuff the ham, rinse off the salt and soak the ham overnight in cold water in the refrigerator.
• Make the stuffing: The goal is to chop all the vegetables so the pieces are small and relatively uniform in size. Begin by chopping the cabbage. A food processor with a shredding blade is helpful. Place the cabbage in a large pan or bowl. Remove large stems from the kale and other greens, if you are using them, and chop. (Tip: Freeze cleaned, whole kale leaves overnight in plastic bags, then break up the frozen leaves while still in the bag and add to the stuffing mixture.) Chop the yellow onions and scallions, and add them to the cabbage and kale.
• Mix the vegetables well and add the spices. Mix again. (Your hands will work best for this, but wear gloves if your skin is sensitive to pepper.) Taste the stuffing and adjust, adding more cayenne or red-pepper flakes for a more intense spiciness. Keep in mind that the long boiling time will soften the heat.
• Stuff the ham: Remove the bone, or have the butcher remove it for you. The ham should be almost butterflied. Add the bone to a pot large enough to hold the ham, fill with enough water to cover it and begin to heat the water to a boil.
• While the water heats, set the ham on a sheet pan and cut slits about 3 inches long and 2 inches deep in a few places to make pockets, being careful not to slice through the meat completely. The number of slits will depend on the size of the ham. The goal is an even distribution of stuffing. Pack the slits tightly with stuffing, and add stuffing to the center of the ham where the bone was. Close the ham and secure it with kitchen string.
• Prepare a large square of cheesecloth at least 3 layers thick. Spoon a layer of stuffing over the cheesecloth and set the ham on it. Pack more stuffing on the top and sides of the ham. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth to the top and twist tightly to form a compact package. Tie the top tightly with string.
• Lower the ham into boiling water, reduce heat to a simmer and add any juice that has collected from the stuffing. Skim any foam that rises. Cook, covered, for about 15 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
• Turn off the heat and let the ham cool slightly in the water, about an hour. (Old-timers simply put the whole pot on the porch overnight if the weather was cool, or left it on the stove until completely cooled.) Drain the ham in a colander and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove the cheesecloth and string, and reserve any stuffing around the ham.
• To serve, slice the ham across the grain, so each slice contains stuffing and meat. Pile additional stuffing around the slices. The ham can be reheated, but more often it is served cold.

STUFFED COMPANY HAM

Steps:

• In a skillet, brown and crumble sausage. Drain. Add the celery, onion and apple cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until celery is tender. Remove from heat stir in crumbs, mincemeat, parsley and thyme. Mix well. On top of ham, cut two full-length wedges, about 1 in. wide and 3/4 in. deep, 3 in. apart. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the stuffing into each wedge. Place remaining stuffing in a greased 1-1/2-qt. covered baking dish refrigerate. Place ham in a roasting pan and cover loosely with a foil tent. Bake at 325° for 2-1/4 hours. In a saucepan, heat jelly and mustard until jelly melts. Brush some over ham return ham to the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes, brushing occasionally with jelly mixture. Also place covered baking dish of stuffing in the oven at this time. For pears, mix water and lemon juice. Dip pear halves and drain. Place with cut sides up in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Mix chutney and apple juice pour over pears. Drizzle with butter. Remove ham from oven cover with foil and let stand 30 minutes before slicing. While continuing to bake stuffing, bake pears, uncovered, for 30 minutes, basting occasionally.© Copyright Reiman Publications, 1993-1997

RALEY'S MARKET STUFFED HAM

Steps:

• Trim excess fat from ham.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Wash cabbage, kale and onions with cold water. Chop or shred cabbage, kale, and onions and place in a large bowl. Add red and black pepper. Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
• Prepare ham for stuffing by making 1 or 2-inch slits all over the ham, about 1- to 2-inches deep. Using your gloved hand, press stuffing into slits until full. Fill large cavity where bone was located with stuffing also.
• When finished stuffing, tie ham with string. Wrap ham with cheesecloth and tie securely. Cover ham with aluminum foil and bake for 5 hours.
• When ham is finished, drain and let ham cool down overnight in the refrigerator before carving. Serve cold.

HONEYED HAM WITH PEARS AND CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Score ham all over in a diamond pattern; insert cloves into diamonds. Place the ham in a large roasting pan. Pour cider and 1 cup honey over the ham. Bake 1 hour, basting with pan juices halfway through.
• Add cinnamon and pears to pan. Bake 45 minutes, basting twice. Sprinkle cranberries over pears; bake until pears are tender and cranberries begin to burst, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fruit to a shallow bowl; cover with foil, and set aside.
• Ladle juices from pan into a medium saucepan. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup honey, the sugar, and ginger. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cook until mixture is syrupy and has reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Pour glaze over ham; bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven; brush ham with glaze from pan. Let rest 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, and carve. Pour pan juices over pears and cranberries in bowl; serve with ham.