Slow Cooked Spiced Ham

It might seem like a bit of an extravagance to buy a ham in January, but you can get an awful lot of eating out of a large ham like this eating it sliced, warm and cold, then stretching the rest into several meals using rice, pasta, quiche, bakes, pies and pasties.

Adding some spices and citrus fruit to the cooking liquid just adds a little extra flavour to the ham.  It's not overpowering and is more obvious in the cold ham than when it is served warm.

Slow Cooked Spiced Ham
1 ham or gammon joint (2.5 kilos)
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
3 all spice berries
1/2 lemon
1/2 orange
1 litre of liquid (you can use apple juice, cider, white wine or water or a combination)

Place all the ingredients in your Slow Cooker or Crockpot,  put on the lid and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Farmersgirl Tips

• If you are using a smaller gammon joint, simply reduce the liquid, spices and cooking time, it's a really that simple.
• If you want to glaze your ham, remove the rind, then using a sharp knife, make a criss cross pattern in the fat.  Make a mixture of  50g dark brown sugar and 1 tsp dried mustard powder and rub into the fat.  Heat the oven to 180C and bake until the rind is bubbling about 10-12 minutes.  I would recommend lining your tin with foil as the sugar mixture is really sticky and difficult to remove.

• 

This is my entry for my #SlowCookedChallenge, the theme for January is CITRUS, why not join me?

Labels: all spice, bacon, Cinnamon, crockpot, Gammon, ham, lemon, orange, Slow Cooked Challenge, slow cooker, spice, star anise

posted by Janice @ 19:30 10 Comments

Super Simple Chicken Curry - Spice, Layers of Flavour by Dhruv Baker

With the final of the 2014 Masterchef just finished, I thought it was appropriate to post my review of  2010 Masterchef winner Dhruv Baker's  new cookbook: Spice - Layers of Flavour.



About the author
Dhruv Baker was born in Mexico and moved to India when he was four years old.  He has lived in Spain and Tanzania and his travelling and rich cultural background has included how he cooks and the spices he uses in his dishes www.dhruvbaker.com

Introduction
Dhruv Baker describes his love of spices in a well written introduction, citing his mum as the 'best cook I've ever known and has a culinary heritage that is impressive.  This is followed by Dhruv's Spice Philosophy and his Flavour Map, both of these are well worth reading before starting to make the recipes.

Small Plates: some of the dishes that appealed to me were Butternut Squash with Red onion, Feta and Coriander, Cheese and Cumin Croquettes ooh and a recipe for Crab Cakes (see my adventures in Nova Scotia).

Fish and Seafood: Wow, some fabulous dishes in this chapter, how about Garlic and Chilli Clams, Harissa Sardines, Malabar Prawn Curry and Monkfish with Chilli and Black Cardamom.

Meat: features a variety of different spiced dishes includes 'The Best Spare Ribs Ever', Slow-Roasted Pork Belly with Fennel and Coriander, Lamb and Lentil Shami Kebabs and Homemade Salt Beef. 

Chicken and other birds: I made the Super Simple Chicken Curry (see photo above), not only because it was straight forward but because it was the first dish that Dhruv cooked using spices, one which his mother taught him when he was 11 years old. Other recipes in this chapter include Roast Chicken with Garlic and Paprika, Turkey Mole and Achari Spiced Duck.

Vegetables and Grains: this chapter takes classics and spices them up like Saffron Pommes Anna and  Cauliflower Cheese with a Cumin and Macadamia Crust.  Other highlights are Cumin and Chilli Potatoes,  Miso and Ginger Glazed Aubergine and Cauliflower and Peas with Chilli and Coriander.

Sweet: oh my, how droolworthy are these desserts? The titles alone should tempt you, I know that I am totally mesmerised by Lemon, Lime and Cardamom Tart, White Chocolate and Cardamom Mousse, Rum and Star Anise Poached Figs, Masala Chai Ice Cream with Poached Pears and Chocolate Truffles and Pistachio and Cardamom Shortbread.

Something to Drink: Cheers! Pear and Prosecco Spritz, Cardamom Martini, Cinnamon & Star Anise Hot Chocolate and Masala Chai.

Relishes and Accompaniments: relishes are such a great way to add to your meals, I like the look of the Kachumber, a cross between a salad and a salsa, the Plum and Black Cardamom Sauce and a tangy and sweet Tomato Relish.

Unlocking the Spice Cupboard provides a comprehensive guide to spices one of the best I've read, so much information about how to use each spice, what it tastes like, examples of how to cook with it and dishes where it plays a key role.  There is also information about 'The Many Ways to Use Spices' like infusing, dry roasting and making marinades and rubs.

Who is it for?
This is not a book of curries, there are some curried dishes but it is much more than that.  It's a book which is accessible to pretty much anyone who likes to cook with spices.

Pros
It's a well laid out book with a lot of background information to help the cook get the best from the recipes. The recipes are clearly laid out and easy to follow.  There are some nice little stories from Dhruv scattered through out  the book which I enjoyed reading.

Cons
Many of the dishes would be for special occasions and some require a long list of ingredients, but there are also recipes which are simple and you would have the ingredients in your larder and fridge.

Here is the recipe for I made from Spice, it was delicious and even better when it was reheated the next day, do try it, you won't regret it.

Super Simple Chicken Curry
Serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 cloves
4 green Cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and very finely grated
1 tsp turmeric
4 tsp ground turmeric
4 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
75ml water
250g fresh tomatoes, whizzed in a blender
1 whole chicken, jointed into 8 pieces or chicken thighs
250 ml chicken stock
4 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a  large, lidded pan and, when hot, add the cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick.  Fry for about 3-4 minutes over a medium heat.

Add the onions and fry for 10-15 minutes, until golden.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes then pour in the water and cook for another 5 minutes stirring constantly.

Ad the blended tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes before adding the chicken pieces. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, then add the stock and cook, covered, for 10 minutes.  Remove the lid, increase the heat and cook for a further 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has stared to thicken up.

Season to taste and sprinkle over the chopped coriander.  Serve with steamed rice, naan bread and Cucumber Raita.

@FarmersgirlCook thank you so much for your review of the book - I'm delighted you like it! @orionbooks
— Dhruv Baker (@DhruvBaker1) July 19, 2014

Spice - Layers of Flavour by Dhruv Baker
Publisher: Weidenfeld and Nicholson
RRP: £25 (eBook £12.99)

Labels: book review, Chicken Curry, curry, Dhruv Baker, Masterchef, spice, Super Simple Chicken Curry

posted by Janice @ 21:43 14 Comments

River Cottage Rocks - Jerk Chicken

I liked the look of this Jerk Chicken  with Rice and Peas and, strangely, I have never made Jerk chicken, so it was something that I wanted to try.  I used skinned chicken breasts as that was what I had in the freezer and I have to say that they were absolutely delicious, not dry at all and there was just the right amount of heat in the paste.  I didn't leave it overnight, but put the paste on in the morning and left it for around 5 hours before cooking.  The rice and peas I'm not so sure of,  I think I would like to check out some other recipes for this as I was slightly disappointed in the lack of flavour. 
The closing date for this challenge is 12th February, so you need to get your skates on if you are going to take part!

Labels: allspice, Chicken, hot, Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall, jerk chicken, kidney beans, peas, rice, spice

posted by Janice @ 19:26 4 Comments

Gingerbread Cupcake Sparklers!

I have adapted the recipe a little as I didn't have any stem ginger, also the GBBO version is not iced, but I wanted to try a little piping.  Depsite having been cooking and baking for around 40 years I've never really mastered piping, I think this isn't bad for a first attempt but I need to get a bigger piping nozzle to make the squishy sort of toppings that go with cupcakes, any recommendations for which nozzles to get and where to get them, gratefully accepted.

Gingerbread Cupcake Sparklers

Labels: bonfire night, Bookmarked Recipes, butter icing, cupcakes, Ginger, Gingerbread, Great British Bake Off, Lavender and Lovage, spice, syrup, Tea Time Treats, Tinned Tomatoes, treacle

posted by Janice @ 12:14 18 Comments