Hame

“ But alas! now are woeful and wae.
Hame and hame came his stead,
And ran to its ain stable;
They've gien it corn and hay to eat,
As much as it was able.
His mother she was a waefu woman,
As dung as woman could be ”

“ They are the true descendants of Ham, whether their faces be black or white, and whether they go with no clothes or with clothes that are the product of much thought and anxiety, who find pleasure in the mere contemplation of deeds of shame, in real life, on the boards of the theatre, in daily journals, or in works of fiction. Extremes meet, and the savage grossness of Ham is found in many who count themselves the last and finest product of culture. ”

“ 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 ”

“ She had been looking all round her again—at the lawn, the great trees, the reedy, silvery Thames, the beautiful old house; and while engaged in this survey she had made room in it for her companions; a comprehensiveness of observation easily conceivable on the part of a young woman who was evidently both intelligent and excited. She had seated herself and had put away the little dog; her white hands, in her lap, were folded upon her black dress; ”

“ 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 ”

“ I long ago suggested the hypothesis, that in the basin of the Thames there are indications of a meeting in the Pleistocene period of a northern and southern fauna. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ When you looked at them you thought of the country, the orchards where they had been gathered, and Fetter Lane, with all its hawkers' cries and screaming children, vanished from your senses. You do not get that sort of an impression when you look in the window of a ham and beef shop. A plate of sliced ham, on which two or three flies crawl lazily, a pan of sausages, sizzling in their own fat, bear no relation to anything higher than the unfastidious appetite of a hungry man. ”

“ Furthermore, Hams will vary in quality even after they have been graded; some medium size Hams, which is the size usually picked for the finest cure, are of much better quality than others. This will be readily admitted when it is remembered that a Ham may be of proper weight, but it can also be too fat for its weight, it can be too lean, it can have a coarse thick skin, the meat can be coarse in grain or it may be properly graded as to size, but come from an old, worn-out sow. ”

“ In the pickling of hams they had an ingenious apparatus, by which they saved time and increased the capacity of the plant—a machine consisting of a hollow needle attached to a pump; by plunging this needle into the meat and working with his foot, a man could fill a ham with pickle in a few seconds. And yet, in spite of this, there would be hams found spoiled, some of them with an odor so bad that a man could hardly bear to be in the room with them. ”

“ The advantage of Facing Hams right after the hogs are dressed, is this. The knife can be drawn through the skin and through the fat close to the meat, and the fat will peel right off the fleshy part of the Ham. Between the fat and lean meat of the Ham, between the legs, there is a fibrous membrane which is very soft and pliable. When the knife is run through the skin and fat, it will run along the side of this membrane, making a clean face for the Ham. ”

“ Next put the ham in a baking-pan, with one-half pint of white wine, and roast half-an-hour. Baste often, taking care that the wine and juice of the ham do not scorch, as these form a nice gravy. Whether eaten hot or cold the ham should be carved very thin.
Beefsteak Broiled.
Place the gridiron over a clear fire; rub the bars with a little of the fat, to keep from sticking. The moment it hardens a little—which closes the pores of the meat—turn it over, thus [Pg 22] hardening both sides. You may then moisten with butter, or a little of the fat of the steak, and season with salt and pepper. ”

“ Quantity for 6 Persons.
1⁄8 lb. of butter 1⁄8 lb. of raw ham 1 small onion 11⁄2 tbsps. of flour 1⁄3 pt. bouillon 1⁄3 pt. cream or milk 1⁄4 cup of ground poultry, fish or meat Salt, pepper 1 tsp. of lemon juice Preparation: The lean ham is cut into small cubes and fried in the butter. Add the sliced onion, stir in the flour and stew a little while, add the bouillon and cream. Now the gravy is cooked for 15 minutes and the 1⁄4 cupful of ground fish added. When served with meats, add meat instead of fish. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. ”

“ For decorative effect there is nothing like blue and white china, and polished brass and pewter, and they are all as much at home in a mansion as in a cottage. Hanging from the beams I saw a goodly display of hams, no less than thirty-four in all, for I carefully counted them out of curiosity. "Home-cured," the maid who served me with my ale declared. I thought I would buy one, for home-cured hams are not easy to come by nowadays, and such a ham is a delicacy to be enjoyed. ”

“ Sprinkle with pepper and rub thoroughly with brown sugar; put the ham and the fat from the liquor into a baking-pan and brown for about an hour in the oven. Cut as thin as possible when serving.
Frying Ham.—Cut the ham in the thinnest possible slices, with a large, sharp knife. Have the frying-pan hot, and cook the meat just enough to give the fat a delicate brown, turning frequently. To cook ham too much is to make it tough, hard, dry, and indigestible. Put the ham on a hot platter in the warming oven. [Pg 282] Add a cupful, or more, of fresh milk to the grease and thicken with flour. ”

“ The ham need not be soaked in water before it is used, but only washed clean. Instead of a chaffing-dish of coals to smoke the hams, make a hole in the ground, and therein put the fire; it must not be fierce: be sure to keep the mouth of the hogshead covered with a blanket to retain the smoke.
Westphalia Ham, to cure. No. 1.
Cut a leg of pork to the shape of a Westphalia ham; salt it, and set it on the fire in a skillet till dry, and put to it two ounces of saltpetre finely beaten. The salt must be put on as hot as possible. ”

“ 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 ”

“ Thirty minutes will roast a young pheasant, and forty or fifty minutes a full grown one. Good sized partridges take nearly as long. Baste with butter, and {78}froth them. Clear, well-flavoured gravy, in which there should be a tea-spoonful of the essence of ham. Also bread sauce.
French cooks lard all these. (See to Lard.) They also have a method of dressing them thus: lay slices of lemon over the breast, and upon these, slices of fat bacon, cover with paper, and roast them. Another way is to fill the bird with a delicate stuffing of veal, grated ham, lemon grated, and spice ”

“ 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.” ”

“ 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. ”

“ Light hams averaging from twelve to fourteen pounds should run from 33° to 34° F., heavy hams from 35° to 37° F. Temperatures higher than those designated are not safe, from a curing standpoint, and should be reduced to these points before the hams can be safely cured. What is meant by “safely cured” is the minimum percentage of sour, which should run less than one ham in 1,000 pieces. If previous directions as to refrigeration, handling, etc., are followed closely this condition is possible. ”

“ Regular Long Cut Hams. —These are lean, long hams with only one-half to one and one-half inches of outside fat, and are “cut from the side by separating with a knife the hip-bone from the rump, properly rounded, foot unjointed at first joint below the hock.” They are not faced; and the butt end is left full, which gives it a flat, lean appearance. (Fig. 116.) Average weights are 10 to 20 pounds but usually above 14 pounds. This cut is made from good and choice bacon hogs. ”

“ We always boil a ham the day before it is to be eaten. Take it out; remove the skin carefully, and put the latter back into the cold liquor when you have skimmed all the fat—which makes excellent dripping—from the surface of the liquid. Press soft paper on the top of the ham, to take off the clinging drops of grease. Brush all over with beaten egg. Work a cup of rolled cracker into a paste with warm milk, butter, pepper, salt, and a beaten egg. Coat the ham thickly with this, and set to brown in a moderate oven. Twist frilled paper around the knuckle, and garnish with cresses. ”

“ Our cooks, on the contrary, give to all other meats, and even to some kinds of fish, a rich flavour of bacon without destroying that which makes the distinction of one from another. It does not appear to me that essence of hams was ever known to the ancients. We have a hundred ragouts, the composition of which surpasses all description. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Dear Ted:
So your roommate is a ham, is he? Well, if he is, you're in luck. Ham is selling for fifty cents a pound in Lynn and is going up.
Time was when ham was looked down upon as the poor man's meat, but now, when there are no poor except professional men and shoe manufacturers, his pigship has come into his own. ”

“ The main thing to be attended to is the previous soaking, and the requisite time must be left to the discretion of the cook, for, whereas one night would be sufficient for a small and tender ham, if very old and dry, less than four days and four nights will scarcely be enough. The water should be changed every day, and the night before it is boiled, scrape well, pour warm water over it, and trim off all the rusty, ill-looking, bits, then lay it in the water again. Scum the pot, and let the ham simmer from three to five hours, according to its weight. ”