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Festive Feast - Four ham recipes for the holidays

Published:Thursday | December 10, 2020 | 12:15 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Rum and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham.
Rum and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham.
Get ready to deshell those tamarinds for the delicious Tamarind Ginger Ham.
Get ready to deshell those tamarinds for the delicious Tamarind Ginger Ham.
The Pineapple Pepper Jelly Ham calls for one Caribbean Passion bone-in leg ham.
The Pineapple Pepper Jelly Ham calls for one Caribbean Passion bone-in leg ham.
The Bacon-wrapped Sorrel Pimento Ham.
The Bacon-wrapped Sorrel Pimento Ham.
Serve the pepper jelly as a topping on the slices of Pineapple Pepper Jelly Ham.
Serve the pepper jelly as a topping on the slices of Pineapple Pepper Jelly Ham.
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Ham remains a Christmas staple for many families, every year taking its place at the Christmas dinner table as the ultimate centrepiece among other meats and sides. Whatever the type: bone-in, boneless, leg or picnic, there are a variety of ways to prepare this tasty tradition.

For years, Caribbean Passion Hams – which prides itself on providing 100 per cent quality Jamaican pork – has been creating and sharing new, mouth-watering recipes for you and your family to try at home. This year, they are keeping that rich tradition alive, and we’re sharing four of those featured recipes with you.

Pineapple Pepper Jelly Ham

Ingredients:

1 Caribbean Passion bone-in leg ham

2 cups pineapple juice

1½ cups brown sugar

1 lime (zest)

1 lime

3 Scotch bonnet peppers

2 cups fresh pineapple

¼ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove all the packaging and nets from the ham.

2. Wrap the ham in several layers of foil and place in a baking pan. Fill the baking dish with water.

3. Place the ham in the oven to warm, 10 minutes per pound (six to eight minutes for a boneless ham).

4. Chop the pineapple into cubes and mince the Scotch bonnet peppers.

5. In a saucepan, combine pineapples, pineapple juice, juice of one lime, lime zest, Scotch bonnet peppers, and salt. Boil until it becomes a light syrup.

6. Remove ham from the oven, discard water and remove foil.

7. Peel away the skin and carve off the desired amount of fat. Using a sharp knife, score the fat diagonally.

8. Pour the pineapple pepper sauce over the ham, making sure to tuck the pineapple chunks under the ham, so they don’t burn as the ham caramelises.

9. Increase oven temperature to 475°F-500°F. Add the ham, occasionally basting until golden and caramelised.

10. Remove from the oven when it has reached the desired colour and set aside to rest before carving.

11. Reserve the pineapple pepper jelly that has thickened and formed at the bottom of the pan. It will be chunk, you may blend it into a smooth paste.

12. Serve the pepper jelly on top of ham slices.

Preparation time is 10 minutes. Sauce cook time is 15 minutes. Cook time is 10 minutes per pound.

Bacon-wrapped Sorrel Pimento Ham

Ingredients:

5lb boneless leg ham

2 packs streaky bacon

1 cup fresh sorrel

2 teaspoons spicy sorrel chutney

1 tablespoon pimento (crushed)

½ teaspoon cloves (crushed)

1 cup unsweetened sorrel juice

½ cup honey

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Wrap the ham completely in two to three layers of foil.

3. Place the wrapped ham in a baking dish half-filled with water and warm in the oven; six minutes per pound.

4. In a saucepan, make a rich sauce using the fresh sorrel, sorrel chutney, sorrel juice, honey, pimento and cloves.

5. Once the sauce is slightly thick, remove it from the heat and set aside.

6. Remove the ham from the oven.

7. Remove the foil and wrap completely in bacon, pinning with toothpicks to secure.

8. Place in a 470°F oven to cook the bacon until almost golden; eight to 10 minutes.

9. Pour the sorrel glaze over the ham and put back in the oven for another five minutes.

10. When the bacon is crispy, and the sauce is thick, remove from the oven and serve.

Serves eight to 15 persons. Preparation time is 10 minutes. Total baking time is 45 minutes.

Tips:

1. Make sure the ham is completely defrosted before warming.

2. Boneless fully cooked hams are very easy to dry out. Do not overcook.

3. A five-pound boneless ham will take about 30 minutes to warm through to the centre.

Tamarind Ginger Ham

Ingredients:

1 Caribbean Passion boneless leg ham

15 tamarind pods

½ cup sliced ginger

1 cup honey

1 cup white sugar

1½ cups water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove all the packaging and nets from the ham.

2. Wrap the ham in several layers of foil and place in a baking pan. Fill the baking dish with water.

3. Place ham in the oven to warm, six-eight minutes per pound for a boneless ham (10 minutes for a bone-in ham).

4. In a saucepan, combine the deshelled tamarind, sliced ginger, water, sugar and honey. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, mashing the tamarind to release the seeds.

5. Strain the sauce to remove the seeds. You may reserve the ginger slices or discard them with the seeds.

6. Remove ham from the oven, discard water and remove foil. Using a sharp knife, score the ham diagonally.

7. Increase oven temperature to 475°F-500°F. Add the ham, for 10 minutes to allow the sauce to caramelise on top.

8. Remove from the oven when it has reached the desired colour and allow to rest before carving.

Preparation time is 10 minutes. Sauce time is 15 minutes. Baking time is six to eight minutes per pound.

Rum and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

Ingredients:

1 Caribbean Passion bone-in or boneless leg ham

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup dark rum

2 oranges, sliced in 8 sections (optional)

Directions:

1. Completely defrost the ham, and preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Wrap the ham in layers of foil and place in a baking dish, half-filled with water.

3. Heat ham for 10 minutes per pound.

4. Remove from the oven, peel away the skin and carve any excess fat.

5. Score the meat slightly and diagonally in a diamond platter to allow the glaze to permeate. Insert cloves into each diamond.

For the glaze:

1. Combine the brown sugar and rum and occasionally stir for 10 minutes, allowing the sugar to dissolve as the rum becomes darker.

2. Pour rum syrup over the ham, allowing it to seep into the scored cuts. Optional: Sprinkle a dusting of brown sugar over the ham.

3. Place the ham and oranges back in the oven on broil at 500°F.

4. Continually baste the ham with the drippings until it is golden brown and the glaze becomes a thick syrup.

5. Remove the ham from the oven, slice and serve with the roasted oranges. Decorate as desired.

You can yield 12 to 14 servings. Baking time is an hour and a half.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com