Corned Ham For Easter

One of the constants right now is the holiday dinner. For many Christians it's ham on Easter, a comforting reminder of happier years and hope for a better holiday next year. Southerners can appreciate the rare corned ham, a specialty of Maryland and South Carolina

Brett Anderson, a restaurant critic and regular contributor to the New York Times wrote about this  rare Southern classic in today's New York Times Food issue. Traditional corned ham is nothing more than  fresh ham that's been cured in salt. It's found in St. Mary's County in Maryland, a peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River where it's used for stuffed hams. It's also found in eastern North Carolina where hog farming has been the backbone  of the economy for generations. It's one region where it's still common for people to serve unembellished ham for the holidays. Some Carolinians boil their hams and them use the  rich broth, also called pot likker to cook sides like collard greens. Many slow roast the hams too. They get them at local Piggly Wigglys but many of an older generation corned the hams themselves.

You can make corned ham at home.  Just remember it's going to take up a lot of fridge space which is precious nowadays. (you can buy one on line from www.mortypride.com). It will take ten days so  maybe it can work as an after Easter dinner. You will need to put a ten to fifteen pound ham in a roasting pan and cutting incisions in it, namely around the shank and hip bones.  Stuff  as much as  kosher salt as you can in them. Its' then soaking the ham over night in  half of inch of water. Afterwards press parchment paper into the meat and seal the whole thing with aluminum foil.Cook it in a 325 F degree oven for twenty-three to twenty-five minutes per pound . A fifteen pound ham would be roasted for six and a quarter hours.Ninety minutes before the final cooking remove the foil and parchment. Turn up the oven's heat to 375 degrees F and return the ham to it.The intense heat will turn the top layer of fat into the added treat of a covering  like crackling.The best part is the leftovers. You can use the meat and bones in everything from pea soup to ham salad. You can even make a corned ham Reuben toofor a fun lunch or dinner.

Corned ham is a treat anyone can make at home. Celebrate Spring or time with your family with a home corned one.It's a great addition to your cooking repertoire.

Crackling Good

Yesterday’s New York Times Dining section had an interesting article on a much loved but much less publicized snack - pork cracklings. These are those pork rinds that most of us avoid in the snack aisle. However when made fresh they’re a different animal so to speak, - crackly salty and meaty. They’re also easy to make on your own and can be varied in flavor.

The piece, written by Kim Severson describes the different kinds of cracklings or scratchings. She mentions the tart vinegar soaked lechon served at Filipino weddings, the Chinese pork belly called siu yuk and the Cuban style crackling bits. There are also recipes for the Italian version called porchetta which requires sage, thyme and rosemary along with dry white or red wine There is also a Cajun recipe that features sashes of spicy cayenne and paprika peppers . This give the meat and fat a zing as well as a fiery yet flavorful taste.

If you are thinking about making crackling. then buy either boneless pork belly or shoulder. The best crackling does come out the best in what’s know as a combi oven This is an oven that first blasts moist heat and dry to thoroughly cook the crackling. Unfortunately the average cook can’t afford one. The best bet is roasting for two hours in a low heat oven (about 250 degrees Fahrenheit), Crackling can be fried but I think it may just be too greasy to eat afterwards.

Pork rinds are not as low brow as food snobs think they are. If made right, they can be wonderful - and highly addictive. iI’s just a matter of how to prepare and season them for the perfect treat.