There is still a lot of gammon in the supermarkets after Christmas. And Gammon is also very good served at Easter. But if you have some left over, this is a lovely easy dish to make for a summer lunch with friends. Lynne made this dish with some of ours which was left over from Christmas. You can of course double up this recipe.
Cut the cooked gammon into small slices, 2 to 3 cm long discarding the fat and any sinew. Set aside.
Wash and dry the parsley. Strip the parsley leaves from the stems. (Keep the stems aside.) Roughly chop the parsley leaves and put them into a small bowl. Pour the boiling water over the leaves to set the colour, drain and leave to cool. This keeps the parsley leaves nice and green.
Combine the wine, the stock, bay leaves, parsley stems, thyme and peppercorns in a saucepan. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer, covered, very gently for about 30 minutes. Take off the heat. Strain the wine mixture into a measuring jug. There should be 355 ml (1½ cups); if necessary add a little water.
Soak the three sheets of gelatine in a little cold water till just soft, it only takes a minute or two. Remove them from the water and add them to the hot stock. Stir till they dissolve. Put back onto the heat if they do not.
Pour into a bowl and leave the aspic to cool until tepid; then stir in the parsley, spring onions and garlic. Taste the aspic and season it with salt and white pepper (remember that the gammon is salty). Aspic will thicken quite suddenly when cold, so do not chill it.
To mould the gammon, add a shallow layer of aspic (90 ml) to a terrine mould, small loaf tin or glass bowl and chill it in the refrigerator or over ice water until almost set. Mix the ham into the rest of the tepid aspic containing the shallots, garlic and parsley in a large bowl, then put into your mould. Press the pieces of ham well below the surface of the aspic and make sure no air bubbles are trapped beneath the ham. Cover the mould and chill it until set, at least 3 hours.
To unmold and serve, dip the mould in hot water for 30 seconds to loosen the aspic. Run a knife around the edge, unmold the ham onto a platter, and cut it in slices or wedges for serving. It keeps well for up to a week, but, once cut, should be eaten within a day or two. Serve with cornichons (baby gherkins), grainy French mustard and good sour dough bread and butter. And of course some more of that crisp unwooded Chardonnay. Limestone Hill from De Wetshof would be perfect.
Jambon Persillé - Gammon ham with parsley using left over gammon
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
500 g cooked gammon - 1/2 bottle (375 ml) crisp unwooded Chardonnay - 90 ml veal, chicken or vegetable stock - 2 bay leaves - 2 to 3 sprigs of fresh thyme - 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns - a medium bunch of flat leaf parsley, about two cups - 1/4 cup boiling water – 3 leaves of gelatine (15 g) - 3 spring onions, finely chopped - 1 garlic clove, finely chopped - Salt and white pepper
Preparation Cut the cooked gammon into small slices, 2 to 3 cm long discarding the fat and any sinew. Set aside.
Wash and dry the parsley. Strip the parsley leaves from the stems. (Keep the stems aside.) Roughly chop the parsley leaves and put them into a small bowl. Pour the boiling water over the leaves to set the colour, drain and leave to cool. This keeps the parsley leaves nice and green.
Combine the wine, the stock, bay leaves, parsley stems, thyme and peppercorns in a saucepan. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer, covered, very gently for about 30 minutes. Take off the heat. Strain the wine mixture into a measuring jug. There should be 355 ml (1½ cups); if necessary add a little water.
Soak the three sheets of gelatine in a little cold water till just soft, it only takes a minute or two. Remove them from the water and add them to the hot stock. Stir till they dissolve. Put back onto the heat if they do not.
Pour into a bowl and leave the aspic to cool until tepid; then stir in the parsley, spring onions and garlic. Taste the aspic and season it with salt and white pepper (remember that the gammon is salty). Aspic will thicken quite suddenly when cold, so do not chill it.
To mould the gammon, add a shallow layer of aspic (90 ml) to a terrine mould, small loaf tin or glass bowl and chill it in the refrigerator or over ice water until almost set. Mix the ham into the rest of the tepid aspic containing the shallots, garlic and parsley in a large bowl, then put into your mould. Press the pieces of ham well below the surface of the aspic and make sure no air bubbles are trapped beneath the ham. Cover the mould and chill it until set, at least 3 hours.
To unmold and serve, dip the mould in hot water for 30 seconds to loosen the aspic. Run a knife around the edge, unmold the ham onto a platter, and cut it in slices or wedges for serving. It keeps well for up to a week, but, once cut, should be eaten within a day or two. Serve with cornichons (baby gherkins), grainy French mustard and good sour dough bread and butter. And of course some more of that crisp unwooded Chardonnay. Limestone Hill from De Wetshof would be perfect.
All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus
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