How to cook Christmas ham and why it’s better than turkey
THERE are a few things to consider when cooking up a Christmas ham and the first is to make sure you buy an Australian leg.
IT’S up there with cold pizza and bacon and eggs after a big night out.
But how do you cook your Christmas ham so it not only lasts but tastes better the next day?
Top Melbourne chef Matt Haigh has lifted the lid on how to master the festive dish, and it’s nowhere near as hard as you think.
The Peter Rowland Group’s executive chef said the main advantage of putting this on your Christmas menu was because it lasted and leftovers could be used for up to four weeks later in a variety of dishes.
However Haigh said there were a few things people needed to bear in mind when cooking up a ham and the first was to buy an Australian leg.
“It’s Christmas so don’t be afraid to splash out on quality,” he said.
Haigh said ham from overseas often didn’t taste as fresh due to the fact it has been frozen and male pig meat was included which often carried a different taste to that of sows.
Australia also used the best cuts, he said.
According to Haigh, you know you are buying Australian as it comes on the bone.
The thought of making your own ham may sound like a stretch to some, but Haigh insists it isn’t that hard.
“The great thing about ham is because it’s cured it lasts so you can have it on toasted sarnies, pizza or cooked up in a beautiful nasi goreng which you can eat while watching the cricket,” he said.
“You can either buy a ham bag cloth or use a clean pillowcase soaked in vinegar and water solution, making sure you wash it out every couple of days.”
For a glaze, combine one cup of honey, orange zest, a quarter of a cup of orange juice and a quarter of a cup brown sugar in a pot and heat until it’s dissolved, allowing it to cool.
Then square the fat of the ham.
“Place fresh bay leaves and organise cloves on a ring of fresh orange and poke it into the ham,” Haigh said.
“Do this around eight times.”
Heat the oven to 170C and cover the ham with a generous coating of the glaze.
Cook until it’s black on top for around two hours and keep basting with the glaze every 30 minutes or so. Allow the ham to cool when it’s cooked.
British-born Haigh said he used to do turkey, ham and pork with all the trimmings but found it a little wasteful.
Aside from spending time over a hot stove, he said he found salads were also better as they could be prepped the day before and dressed before serving.
While pork and turkey were great festive dishes, Haigh said they don’t store as long and should be ideally eaten that day or the next.
“Not a lot of food can be leftover,” he said.
“Prawns and seafood are really eaten best that day.”
He said a good indicator of portion size was around 180g meat per person, so aim for the 200g mark uncooked, while children need about half this amount.
“At the end of the day you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you want to be enjoying Christmas,” he said.
“I might triple cook some roast potatoes, cook up some peas with some mint butter or make a cauliflower gratin, but you can easily make a fresh salad or nice coleslaw.”
LEFTOVER MIRACLES
Michelle Southan, food director at Taste.com.au, agrees ham is a great Christmas food because you can use most of it and eliminate waste.
“A day or two after Christmas, trim all your ham from the bone, keeping the bone to make soups or broths,” she said.
“Wrap a small portion of ham to use within the next couple of days and freeze the remaining ham for up to three months.
“Use leftover ham to make a festive toastie filled with ham, leftover cheese ie brie, camembert or vintage cheddar and cranberry sauce.”
She said not all food can last the festive distance.
“Seafood doesn’t have a long shelf life so use up prawns etc in rice paper rolls, fried rice, salads within 24 hours,” she said.
“Make sure leftover seafood is refrigerated quickly after the meal. Peel prawns prior to storing them to extend their shelf life. Another good tip with seafood is to freeze any skin, shells or offcuts so as to not make your bin smell.”
She also suggests:
• Use leftover roasted vegetables in frittatas, quiches and pastas.
• Use leftover stuffing to stuff mushrooms and bake in the oven.
• Chop leftover roast potatoes and add to a Spanish omelette or breakfast hash.
• Make leftover Christmas cake into truffles.
For more ideas on how to best use your leftovers visit, taste.com.au’s latest leftovers gallery.
CHRISTMAS LEFTOVERS — MATT HAIGH’S NASI GORENG
Ingredients
• 400g long-grain rice
• 40ml kecap manis
• 15ml dark soy sauce
• 15ml sweet chilli sauce
• 60ml vegetable oil
• 4 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 brown onion, thinly sliced
• 5g sambal oelek
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5g shrimp paste
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 250g Christmas turkey, chopped
• 250g Christmas ham, diced
• 250g cooked prawns, chopped
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• ¼ small wombok cabbage, finely shredded
• 60g fried shallots
• Thinly sliced red chillies, cucumber slices and lime wedges to serve
Method
• Cook the rice following the absorption method on the packet, until just tender. Drain and transfer to a baking tray then fluff with a fork. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for two hours or until cold.
• Combine the kecap manis, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce in a bowl and set it aside.
• Heat a wok over high heat. Add a dash of the oil and swirl to coat. Add a quarter of the beaten egg mix (equivalent to 1 egg) and swirl to form a thin omelet. Cook for 30 seconds, or until the egg sets. Repeat this three more times to make 4 omelets in total. When they are cool, roll them up and slice them crossways.
• Heat the remaining oil in the wok over a high heat. Add the onion, sambal olek, garlic, shrimp paste and carrot. Stir fry for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the turkey, ham and prawn and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until heated through. Add the rice, soy mixture, spring onion and cabbage and stir-fry for three to four minutes or until the rice is heated through and toss through half the sliced omelet.
• Spoon the nasi goreng onto serving plates and top with the remaining omelet, fried shallots, chilli, cucumber and lime wedges.