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Thursday 19 December 2019

Roast Ham For Christmas and New Year : Low Carb Recipes too !




Looking back to childhood memories, as well as Turkey or sometimes Chicken for Christmas Day … Boxing Day was the day we sat down and enjoyed Roast Ham. Somehow Christmas just wasn't complete without a proper homemade ham and of course any leftovers were used with salad or sandwiches.

There are many ham recipes and I give links to some low carb ones at the end of this post - but first how about this recipe suggestion for Roast Ham, I can smell it cooking as I type!

Ingredients
Serves 8 - 10
1 raw smoked ham, about 5kg/11lb, bone in
2 leeks, halved
1 onion, halved
1 carrot, cut into big chunks
10 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
For the glaze
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp grated orange zest
3 tbsp. demerara sugar
3 tbsp. light muscovado sugar
2-3 tbsp. English mustard powder
handful whole cloves, for decoration

honey to drizzle
Method
1. Test the saltiness of your ham by slicing a small piece off the end and frying it in a little oil. If the ham is very salty, you will need to soak it for 12 hours in cold water, changing the water once. If your ham is quite salty, place the joint in a very large pan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil. Drain and discard the cooking water.
2. Once the ham is ready to cook, put the joint into a large pan, cover with fresh cold water and add the leeks, onion, carrot, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid then simmer the ham for about 20 minutes per 450g/1lb. To test that the ham is cooked, stick a cold skewer down into the centre of the ham and leave it for 10 seconds. Take it out and test it carefully against your lip. It should be piping hot.
3. Let the ham cool a little in its cooking liquid, then carefully lift it out and onto a board. (The liquid can be used as a delicious stock for split pea soup and other recipes.) Leave the ham to cool a little.
4. Using a small sharp knife, carefully cut the skin from the ham, leaving behind a good even layer of fat.
5. Score the fat into a diagonal criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife. The ham can now be chilled for up to two days, or you can bake it straight away.
6. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
7. Grind the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar. In a bowl, mix the grated orange zest and sugars, then add the ground coriander seeds. Sift the mustard powder evenly over the ham, then scatter the sugar mixture over the work surface and roll the ham in the mixture to coat the fat. Push a clove into the centre of each diamond in the fat of the ham. Drizzle over the honey.

8. Cover the exposed end of the ham loosely with foil, securing with a few toothpicks. Place the ham on a rack inside a roasting tin and bake the ham for 15 minutes until the glaze is sticky and crisp, maybe even a little charred here and there. Eat hot or cold.
From original idea here

Low Carb Ham Recipes
Low Carb Apricot and mustard glazed ham - details here
Low-Carb Pineapple Baked Ham - details here
Low Carb Glazed Ham - details here
Sugar Free Keto Glazed Ham - details here

For those readers who aren't meat eaters how about this Veggie Packed - Zoodle Minestrone Soup - details here




A variety of articles, and recipe ideas, are within this blog, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan

20 comments:

Tom said...

...growing up ham was always an Easter meal.

Jo said...

My mum was a lover of ham for any occasion. My family aren't big ham eaters but I do still like to have a ham at Christmas.

Divers and Sundry said...

We've pared way back and buy a pre-cooked quarter ham for Christmas. I've never cooked a ham myself.

Teresa said...

Se ve una comida sabrosa. Besos.

Lady Caer Morganna said...

Looks and sounds YUMMY GOOD!

Elephant's Child said...

I don't remember having ham at Christmas - that was something other families did.

Christine said...

I made one at our Thanksgiving

Valerie-Jael said...

Sounds delicious! Valerie

JFM said...

I am making a 25 lb ham for Christmas Eve 🎄 Have a great Holiday Season 🎅🎁⛪

Jeanie said...

I love ham and this looks wonderful. Thanks!

Bill said...

We used to have turkey for Christmas. It was everyone's favorite.

happyone said...

We enjoy ham here at my house.

Victor S E Moubarak said...

Now here's a question I always wondered. Why is ham so salty? Can we not have un-salted ham; or is it essential in its preservation? What I mean, we can get a piece of leg of pork fresh and un-salted. Why not ham?

This is probably a stupid question; like asking why is pickled gherkin salty/vinegary.

God bless.

Lowcarb team member said...

Victor S E Moubarak said...
Now here's a question I always wondered. Why is ham so salty? Can we not have un-salted ham; or is it essential in its preservation? What I mean, we can get a piece of leg of pork fresh and un-salted. Why not ham?

This is probably a stupid question; like asking why is pickled gherkin salty/vinegary.

God bless.

Hello Victor, many thanks for your comment and question.

Yes, ham can indeed be salty!
Ham is produced by curing raw pork by salting, also known as dry curing, or brining, also known as wet curing. Additionally, smoking may be employed.
Sounds complicated doesn't it …
Ham has got an interesting History, even Cato The Elder who was born in 234 BC wrote about it.

You can read more about Ham here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ham

As the recipe on this posts states, you can remove some of the saltiness of ham by soaking it for 12 hours in cold water, changing the water once. If your ham is quite salty, place the joint in a very large pan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil. Drain and discard the cooking water.

My suggestion is if you don't mind a little saltiness then Roast Ham can be great.
However, if you prefer a similar meat but without salt just have some Roast Pork.

Hope this helps.

Enjoy the rest of your week...

All the best Jan

Linda said...

Looks good! I may fix ham for Christmas. I think all our guests eat it... never sure, because there are various special diets to consider.

Margaret D said...

Looks good.
Merry Christmas to you both. Be safe warm and happy.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

When I was a child, we had turkey for Thanksgiving, a holiday very specific to the states. For Christmas we had ham. Sadly, most of us in the states don't celebrate Boxing day. Many don't even know what it is, but I always honor it on my blog on the 26th. I have to admit, that ham looks good.

Victor S E Moubarak said...

Thank you Jan for taking the trouble to reply to my question. Much appreciated.

God bless.

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

I always make a ham for the week of Christmas. It's always welcome when we have a house full of family. Thanks for the recipes, Jan.

Magic Love Crow said...

My mouth is watering! Thanks Jan! Big Hugs!