Ham

“ Make a gravy with milk, a little flour, and a teaspoonful of sugar; pour over the ham.
HAM TOAST. MRS. E. SEFFNER. Chop lean ham (the refuse bits) ; put in a pan with a lump of butter the size of an egg, a little pepper, and two beaten eggs. When well warmed, spread on hot buttered toast.
BOILED HAM. The best ham to select is one weighing from eight to ten pounds. Take one that is not too fat, to save waste. Wash it carefully before you put it on to boil, removing rust or mold with a small, stiff scrubbing brush. Lay it in a large boiler, and pour over it enough cold water to cover it. ”

“ In the morning, when the water—enough to cover the ham—is nearly boiling lay the ham in, and keep the water in a simmer. When it has boiled about an hour throw in two carrots, four onions, two heads of celery, a sprig of parsley, two or three blades of mace and four cloves. If the ham is very salty, it is well to change the water before putting in the seasoning. To obtain tenderness and mellowness the ham must not be allowed to boil hard, only simmer. Too much heat hardens all meat, especially salt meat. When the ham is done set it off in its own water, let it cool in it ”

“ A FRENCH HAM PIE.—Having soaked and boiled a small ham, and taken out the bone, trim the ham nicely [86] so as to make it a good shape; and of the bone and trimmings make a rich gravy, by stewing them in a sauce-pan with a little water; carefully skimming off the fat. Make a sufficient quantity of force-meat, out of cold roast chicken or veal, minced suet, grated bread-crumbs, butter, pepper, chopped sweet-marjoram or tarragon; and grated lemon-peel, adding the lemon-juice, and some beaten egg. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. You may add some chopped oysters. ”

“ It should never boil hard, but simmer gently until the ham has cooked fifteen minutes to every pound. It must cool in the liquor, and the skin should not be removed until the meat is entirely cold, taking care not to break or tear the fat. Brush over the ham with beaten egg, strew it thickly with very fine bread crumbs, and brown in a quick oven. Arrange a frill of paper around the bone of the shank, and surround the ham with water-cress, or garnish the dish with parsley. ”

“ A ham is one of the most easily procured comestibles. Pick out a small one, not too fat. If you want it tough as leather, boil it furiously for a couple of hours, then haul it out of the pot and eat it. ”

“ The recommendation of the eye to the palate is a point no cook can afford to disregard. If you can offer an unexpected visitor nothing better than bread-and-butter and cold ham, he will enjoy the luncheon twice as much if the bread be sliced thinly and evenly, spread smoothly, each slice folded in the middle upon the buttered surface, and piled symmetrically; if the ham be also cut thin, scarcely thicker than a wafer, and garnished with parsley, cresses, or curled lettuce. ”

“ If it come out only a little smeared, and smells well, you may be assured that the ham is good, but if it be daubed, and have a fetid smell, it is good for nothing. When freshly cured, and not over salted, a ham may be trimmed, and wrapped in a coarse paste, and will be found more juicy, and of finer flavour baked than boiled. ”

“ Soak and clean your ham, boil it with onions, cloves, parsley and sweet herbs until it is nearly done, then let it cool in its own liquor; when cold, pull off the skin and place the ham in the oven gate, with a little sugar and bread crumbs over it till it is brown. If it is to be eaten hot, serve with vegetables and some acid or piquant sauce; if cold, send up savory jelly, No. 21.
[Pg 60] TO BOIL A HAM
Run a knife, or skewer, into the thickest part of the ham next the bone; if the knife comes out clean the ham is good, if it smells rank and smears the knife the ham is not good. ”

“ Slice the ham and cut off the rind. Fill a spider nearly full, putting the fat pieces on top. Place in the oven and bake. When partly cooked, pack the slices of hot ham closely in a stone jar and pour the meat juice and fat over the top. Every time that any of the meat is taken out, a little of the lard should be heated and poured back into the jar to keep the meat fresh and good. ”

“ At one time hams were cut in various fashions; now that the majority of the hams are cured with the side of bacon, the shape or cut of the ham varies but little.
To choose a Ham, select one fine in the bone, then run a skewer in close to the bone to the middle of the ham. If it comes out clean and smells sweet, it is good, but it it smells strong and has fat adhering to it, choose another. If the ham be cut, see that the fat is white and not streaked with yellow. All meat first goes bad near the bone. A ham may not be rancid, yet not of the best quality ”

“ The ham eats much mellower and finer than when soaked.
Ham, to dress.
Boil the ham for two hours; take it out and trim it neatly all round; prepare in a stewpan some thin slices of veal, so as to cover the bottom; add to it two bunches of carrots sliced, six large onions, two cloves, two bunches of parsley, a tea-spoonful of cayenne pepper, a pint of beef jelly, a bottle of white wine, and three pints of boiling water. Place the ham in [121] the stewpan, and let it boil an hour and three quarters; then serve it immediately without sauce, preserving the sauce for other use. ”

“ Another Way.—Cut off all fat; mince the ham very fine; break into a spider a half-dozen fresh eggs; add a table-spoonful of cream, a little salt and pepper, and set over the fire; as soon as the eggs are set or nearly solid, spread one half thickly with the minced ham, and fold the other half over upon it; slip it carefully from the spider to the platter. Garnish with curled parsley. Serve hot.
Ham Ball.—Chop fine such small pieces of boiled ham as are usually thought too poor or small for use; add as many eggs as there will be people at the table; sprinkle in a little flour ”

“ A fourteen to sixteen pound Ham from a young barrow with a fine, thin, white skin which is not too fat or not too lean, and possessing a nice, fine grained meat is fully up to grade and is taken for the superior quality of Hams. Therefore, a Ham of this description is superior in quality even before it goes into the brine for curing, and it is very easy to understand that when such a quality of Ham is carefully cured, for just the proper length of time, it will be far better than the ordinary run of Hams. ”

“ To have this dish in a perfection, ham must first be soaked, then boiled nearly done, and set aside to take slices from, as wanted. Cut rather thin, lay on a gridiron over hot coals; when hot through, lay on a dish, and pepper well. Pour over fresh butter melted, and serve. If a raw ham is used, the slices must be cut thicker, dropped in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes, then broiled as above.—Mrs. ”

“ When your ham is nearly done, take off the rind within six inches of the knuckle-bone, cut it in long points; sprinkle the ham on top with bread-crumbs, and serve with a hunter sauce (Art. 97) .
264. Ham Toast. Cut the crust from eight slices of bread of medium thickness, spread some butter thickly on top, and a little mustard, then some grated cheese and ham, very little chopped shallot, and some cayenne pepper. Send to the oven for a few moments, or until the cheese is dissolved, and serve immediately. ”

“ Chop fine some cold dressed ham—say about a quarter of a pound, put it in a basin with a tablespoonful of chopped gherkins and a teaspoonful of mustard, a little pepper or cayenne; put about 6oz. of butter in a basin, and with a spoon stir quickly till it forms a kind of cream; add the ham and seasoning, mix all well; have the sandwich bread cut in thin slices. Have already cut, thinly intermixed with fat, either cold roast beef, veal, lamb, mutton, poultry, fowl, pheasant, grouse, partridge, &c., either of which lay evenly, and not too thick, on your bread ”

“ And if the cook should forget to remove the cotton before serving, you might get your tongues tied in knots. In the North Riding of Yorkshire, some of the farmers’ wives egg-and-bread-crumb fillets of tripe, and fry them in the drip of thick rashers of ham which have been fried previously. The ham is served in the centre of the dish, with the fillets around the pig-pieces. This is said to be an excellent dish, but I prefer my tripe smothered in onions, like the timid “bunny.” ”

“ Roast a nice loin in vegetables, in which let it remain till cold, have also a good ham nicely boiled, from which cut twenty-four croutons, the size and shape of small fillets of fowls, dress the veal in the centre and the ham round; fill a large sauté-pan with aspic (No. 1360) , which set upon{421} the ice, when firm dip the bottom of the pan in warm water and turn the jelly in one piece over the loin, have also some chopped, with which garnish the ham. ”

“ INGREDIENTS.—To 2 lbs. of lean ham allow 1/2 lb. of fat, 1 teaspoonful of pounded mace, 1/2 teaspoonful of pounded allspice, 1/2 nutmeg, pepper to taste, clarified butter.
Mode.—Cut some slices from the remains of a cold ham, mince them small, and to every 2 lbs. of lean, allow the above proportion of fat. Pound the ham in a mortar to a fine paste, with the fat, gradually add the seasoning and spices, and be very particular that all the ingredients are well mixed and the spices well pounded. Press the mixture into potting-pots, pour over clarified butter, and keep it in a cool place. ”

“ Beat the ham well on the fleshy side with a rolling pin, then rub into it, on every part, 1 oz. of saltpetre, and let it lie one night. Then take a 1⁄2 pint of common salt, and a 1⁄4 pint of bay salt, and 1 lb. of coarse sugar or treacle; mix these ingredients, and make them very hot in a stew-pan, and rub in well for an hour. Then take 1⁄2 a pint more of common salt and lay all over the ham, and let it lie on till it melts to brine; keep the ham in the pickle three weeks or a month, till you see it shrink. This is sufficient for a large ham. ”

“ The secret of having good fried ham is in cooking it quick, and not too much. The practice of cutting thick slices, laying them into a cold spider and frying a long time, makes ham black and hard. It needs nothing added, but to be laid upon a hot covered dish. ”

“ Place the ham on the spit before a good fire, baste often with the seasonings from the crockery vessel, and when done take it off, dust it with fine raspings of bread, place it fifteen minutes in a slow oven, strain the drippings, boil them till reduced to a proper thickness, dish the ham, pour the drippings on it, and serve. ”

“ POTTED HAM.—Take some cold ham, slice it, and mince it small, fat and lean together. Then pound it in a mortar; seasoning it as you proceed with cayenne pepper, powdered mace, and powdered nutmeg. Then fill with it a large deep pan, and set it in an oven for half an hour. Afterwards pack it down hard in a stone jar, and fill up the jar with lard. Cover it closely, and paste down a thick paper over the jar. If sufficiently seasoned, it will keep well in winter; and is convenient for sandwiches, or on the tea-table. A jar of this will be found useful to travellers in remote places. ”

“ When a fork stuck into the ham comes out readily, the ham is cooked. Take from the boiler and skin carefully, removing all the discolored portions of the smoked end, stick 2 dozen whole cloves into the thick fat, and sprinkle a couple tablespoonfuls of brown sugar and fine bread crumbs over top. Place in a very hot oven a short time, until the fat turns a golden brown. Watch carefully to see that it does not scorch. When cold, slice thin and serve. Aunt Sarah frequently added a pint of cider to the water in which the ham was boiled. She said this improved the flavor of the ham. ”

“ Soak your ham all night, scrape it nicely, and boil it half an hour to make the skin tender; then take it from the pot, gash it all over, introduce as much of the pounded spices as the incisions will hold, and then close the skin over the gashes and boil in the same manner, with vegetables thrown in, as in recipe for boiled ham. ”

“ Beat the eggs slightly, and to them add the milk, salt, pepper, and ham. Melt the fat in a frying pan and scramble the mixture as directed in Art. 54 until it is slightly thickened. Remove from the stove and serve at once. If desired, this dish may be served on toast. Other left-over meat, such as roast beef or pork, may be used in place of ham, but such meats do not make so tasty a dish, the flavor of ham in such a combination being more desirable. ”

“ To each ham put one ounce saltpetre, one pint bay salt, one pint molasses, shake together 6 or 8 weeks, or when a large quantity is together, bast them with the liquor every day; when taken out to dry, smoke three weeks with cobs or malt fumes. To every ham may be added a cheek, if you stow away a barrel and not alter the composition, some add a shoulder. ”

“ If you have no ham mould take some jelly, cut in diamond shape, and put around the dish, and the rest cut fine and put all over the ham. Garnish your dish with carrots, beets cut into flower forms, parsley, a little here and there on either side of the ham.
No. 171.
WHOLE CHICKEN IN GLACEE.
Take out all the bones in a medium-sized chicken; 1⁄4 pound ham, 1⁄2 pound veal, 1⁄2 can mushrooms, 1⁄4 can truffles, small piece of onion, a little thyme and parsley. Chop the meat, parsley, thyme, celery, very fine together. Cut the mushrooms in slices ”

“ By filling the cavity again with stuffing, a ham may be served as a whole one the third time and look as inviting as when first served. Should there be two or three inches of the thickest end left for another serving, saw off the bone, lay the meat flesh side up, with the fat on the further side of the platter, and carve horizontally in thin slices. ”