A poaching broth for fish, a chicken, or a lumbering piece of ham is all the more interesting for the inclusion of a leek or two. They soften the stock, bringing the flavors of onion, carrot, and herbs together. The ham recipe here is my standard “food for a crowd.” Poached ham slices neatly, even when it falls off the knife in chunks, and can be kept waiting patiently in its own stock without coming to any harm. I often serve it with creamed spinach. I include it here partly to show ham’s affinity with parsnips and also because it’s a useful recipe and I wanted to get it in somewhere. This seemed as good a place as anywhere. I usually buy a ready-tied piece of boneless ham from the butcher for this. It needs no soaking, but will benefit from being brought to a boil in water, drained, and then rinsed before being cooked in the apple juice.
Recipe information
Yield
enough for 6
Ingredients
To serve
Preparation
Step 1
Put the ham in a large saucepan; it should fit snugly. Cover with water, bring to the boil, then pour the water away. Rinse the ham and return to the pot.
Step 2
Split the leeks in half, discarding most of the tough, dark green tops. Rinse them thoroughly under cold running water to remove any trapped grit that may be lurking between the layers. Cut the celery into short pieces and tuck them into the pot with the leeks and the whole carrot. Pour in the apple juice, adding a top-up of water if it doesn’t quite cover the ham.
Step 3
Lightly crush the juniper berries with the flat side of a large knife, then add them to the pan with the cinnamon stick, peppercorns, parsley stems, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to a jolly simmer, then scoop off the froth that floats on top. Cover partially with a lid and leave it to get on with things for a couple of hours, checking from time to time that it isn’t bubbling too fiercely or hasn’t stopped altogether.
Step 4
After two hours, check the ham for tenderness. Leave in the cooking liquor, the heat switched off, for anything up to twenty minutes before carving. Serve in thickish slices, drizzled with a spoonful of the hot, appley cooking liquor, with the vegetables if you wish, and the puréed parsnips.
