Hamming it up: Fantastic ground ham recipes

Great-Grandma's Ham Loaf

1 1/2 pounds ground ham
1/2 pound ground pork
2 eggs
1 cup saltine crackers, finely crushed
1/2 Tablespoon grated onion (or onion powder)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon Coleman's dry mustard

Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees

In a bowl, mix ham and pork together until thoroughly blended. Add eggs, cracker crumbs, onion and milk. Blend together and shape into a loaf. In a bowl, combine brown sugar with water, vinegar and dry mustard. Place the loaf on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake for one hour, basting approx. every 15 to 20 min. Serves 6 to 8.


Holiday Ham Loaf with Horseradish Sauce


2 pounds ground ham
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 cup unseasoned fine dry bread crumbs
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water or pork stock (recipe below)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup tomato juice
Horseradish sauce (recipe below)

Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees

In a bowl, gently combine all ingredients until well blended. Shape into loaf and put into large loaf pan or place in roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. Serve hot topped with horseradish sauce. Serves 6.


NANCY'S EASY PORK STOCK:
1/2 dozen Pork meat bones
4 white peppercorns
1 leek
9 cups water

Bring stock to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 45 to 50 minutes, skimming off fat before and after cooking. Cool and strain. Refrigerate as soon as possible, if not using right away. Stock may be kept refrigerated for use in other dishes, for up to three days.


NANCY'S HORSERADISH SAUCE

3 Tablespoons horseradish
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whipped heavy cream

In a bowl, fold all ingredients together. Serve on top of ham loaf, fish, turkey, roast beef or other dishes.

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Gran's Ham Logs with Raisin Sauce

1 1/2 pounds ground smoked ham
1/2 pound ground pork
1/3 cup of whole milk
1/4 cup oatmeal
1 egg
1/4 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/4 tsp each, salt and pepper
Raisin sauce (recipe below)

Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees

In a bowl, gently combine ham and pork. Add milk, oatmeal, egg, thyme, salt and pepper. Shape into 2 approx. 8-inch logs. Spoon raisin sauce over logs and bake for 45 minutes, occasionally basting logs with sauce. Serves 6 to 8.

RAISIN SAUCE

1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup of cold water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon distilled (clear) vinegar
1/8 cup seedless raisins
1/4 cup light brown sugar

In a saucepan, blend corn starch with water until a smooth paste is formed. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook over low heat, stirring, until sauce just comes to a boil. Do not overcook!


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Nancy's Hawaiian Ham Balls


1 pound ground ham
1 pound lean ground pork
1 1/2 cups fine dry bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup condensed milk
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water or pork stock
1 teaspoon Coleman's dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Pre-heat oven to 325 F degrees.

In a bowl, combine meat. Add in bread crumbs, eggs and milk, and mix together until well blendded. In a sauce pan, combine remaining ingredients. Simmer over low heat, stirring, until warm. Do not bring to a boil. Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil. With the palms of your hands form meat mixture into uniform size balls. Place balls in pan and evenly cover with warm liquid from saucepan. Bake for one hour, basting ham balls every 15 minutes.

Three recipes for Roast Leg of Lamb

New England Glazed Leg of Lamb

5 to 6 pound leg of lamb
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 ounces of frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup of apple jelly
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water

Pre-heat oven to 325 F degrees

Rub lamb with salt and pepper. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the roast. Place on a rack in a shallow baking pan, and bake for one hour. In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients and pour over lamb. Continue cooking. Baste lamb with pan juices every 15 to 20 minutes for one hour longer, or, until the thermometer reads 180 F degrees. Serves 8.


Marinated Roast Leg of Lamb with Vegetables


6 pound leg of lamb
2 Tablespoons chopped leek (can sub. chives if leeks are not available in your area)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon tarragon
2/3 cup chicken stock or chicken bouillion
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 10 ounce packages frozen brussel sprouts, thawed (or equal amount of fresh)
1/2 pound small whole white onions,
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cups peeled, halved and quartered carrots
White wine or chicken stock
bay leaf

In a bowl, stir together the leeks, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper, basil, rosemary, terragon, chicken stock, lemon juice and olive oil. Pour over lamb, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Pre-heat oven to 325 F degrees.

Remove lamb from refrigerator. Reserve marinade. Place lamb on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into center of roast. Bake for 3 hours or until internal temperature reads 180 degrees.

In a saucepan, just cover onions, tomatoes and carrots with wine or cooking stock. Add bay leaf and simmer until vegetables are well cooked and tender. In another saucepan, cook brussel sprouts in marinade from lamb, until tender. Drain vegetables and serve alongside lamb on a platter. Sserves 8.


June's Leg of Lamb with Peas and Mushrooms

4 to 5 pound leg of lamb
4 Tablespoons fresh or bottled lemon juice
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 10 ounce package frozen peas (or sub. 2 cups fresh peas)
12 large mushroom caps
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup water or white wine

Pre-heat oven to 325 F degrees.

In a bowl, combine 3 Tablespoons of the lemon juice, with the minced garlic. Brush on lamb, reserving some of the lemon mixture for later on. Sprinkle lamb with salt, pepper and crushed thyme. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until internal thermometer reads 175 to 180 F degrees. After the first hour, brush lamb with remaining lemon-garlic mixture.

During the last 20 minutes of roasting time, saute mushroom caps in butter and remaining lemon juice in a deep skillet. Remove and keep warm. Add the water or wine to the skillet, plus the salt, pepper and thyme. Add peas and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until tender. Before serving, spoon pea mixture over mushrooms. Serves 6.

Ham: Glazed Baked, and Boiled

June's Orange-Honey Glazed Ham


5 pound whole ham

1 12 ounce jar orange marmalade

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 Tablespoon yellow or Djon mustard

1/2 Tablespoon honey

whole cloves


Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Stud ham with cloves and place ham on rack in shallow roasting pan bake for 2 ½ hours. In a saucepan, combine Marmalade, juice, mustard and honey, blending will. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove ham from oven. Carefully discard cloves and spread glaze over ham. Continue baking for 30 to 45 minutes, or until ham is done (Be carefully that glaze doesn’t burn.). Serves 4 to 8.


Great-aunt Carrie's Old-fashioned Baked Ham

This recipe is over 80 years old and has been modified slightly to accomodate modern cooking methods.

8 to 10 pound ham
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
Whole cloves
4 to 6 slices canned pineapple rings
Marichino cherries (optional)
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 cup tomato catsup
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice



Pre-heat oven to 300 F degrees

Remove rind from ham. Mix brown sugar and butter together until well blended. Rub over surface fat of ham. Score (X) ham. Place a whole clove in each of the squares of scored fat. Place on a rack, fat side up, in a roasting pan, lined with enough aluminimum foil to completely cover the ham. Place pineapple rings over the top surface of the ham, securing with toothpicks. The originally recipe doesn't call for it, but if desired, you may add cherries to the pineapple, securing them with wooden toothpicks.

In a saucepan, boil together remaining ingredients, stirring occasionally, about 5 min. Pour this sauce over ham. Seal aluminum foil over the top of the ham, and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, basting every 25 to 30 minutes. Always re-seal foil over ham after basting. 30 minutes before ham is done, take ham from oven and remove foil covering. Return to oven and continue basting, allowing ham to brown.


Grandma's Boiled Ham Dinner

Cottage ham (aka: boneless shoulder butt ham)
1 cup cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup or granulated sugar
3 whole cloves
2 whole bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
4 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
1/2 pound carrots, peeled, halved and quartered
2 or 3 turnips or parsnips, diced large
6 small whole white cooking onions, peeled
1 very small head green cabbage, cut into quarters, or 1/2 larger head, cut into eigths.

Place ham in 1 quart of boiling water. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a rolling boil. Simmer over medium heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add more liquid if needed. Allow to cool in pot liquid before slicing. Remove bay leaves and cloves, and serve.

Can omit vegetables, and remove ham to refridgerator for use later in sandwiches or other dishes, such as a ham loaf. Serves 8 to 10.