Gammon - and some recipe ideas!

What is gammon(meat)?

Gammon is hind leg of pork after curing by dry-salting or brining. It may or may not be smoked. Like bacon, it needs to be cooked before it can be eaten. It may be sold on-the-bone or boned and rolled.

It may be served as a roasted joint, or as steaks or rashers. It differs from ham in that ham is cured after being cut from the carcass, and the curing process for ham may be different.

Gammon hock (or knuckle) is the foot end of the joint, and contains more connective tissue and sinew.

Joints of cooked gammon are often served at Christmas.

The words gammon, ham and bacon are sometimes used interchangeably. And in the US in particular, the word 'ham' may refer to raw, uncured hind leg of pork.

The word 'gammon' is related to the French word jambon, meaning ham, which in turn is derived from Late Latin gamba, meaning leg.


These details above taken from here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gammon_(meat)

If you should be reading this and live in the USA - this article may also be of interest
http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/buying-meat.html

recipe to follow soon ...

All the best Jan

The answer is they make a delicious meal! I first discovered this recipe idea back in 2014, and have used it quite a lot since! If you'd like to give it a try, this is what you do ...

Ingredients - Serves Four
15g unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
250g closed cup chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 large leek, washed, trimmed and sliced
50g of spring onions, trimmed and sliced
4 x un-smoked gammon steaks approx 150g each
2 teaspoons of French Dijon mustard
150ml chicken stock
125ml soured cream
Fresh flat leaf parsley about 10 - 15 grams - chopped
Ground black pepper to season

Method
1. Heat the butter and half of the oil in a frying pan.
2. Add the mushrooms and fry over a high heat for approx 2 - 3 minutes.
3. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Add the leek and spring onions to your pan with the rest of the oil.
5. Cook on a medium heat for about 8 - 10 minutes.
6. Preheat your grill, high setting, and then grill the gammon for approx four minutes each side until cooked through.
7. Add the mustard and chicken stock to the pan with the cooked onions. Stir in the soured cream and simmer for about 1 minute.
8. Return the mushrooms to the pan, add the chopped parsley, season to your liking with ground black pepper.

Meanwhile ... you would have prepared and cooked your choice of vegetables to accompany ... and so serve the gammon steak topped with the delicious mushroom and leek sauce, with your vegetables ... and maybe a glass of white wine ...


All the best Jan

We used to have gammon, grilled and unfortunately topped with a ring of pineapple and served with fried potato rings, which took almost no time flat to cook. Oh, or fried mushrooms and purple sprouting, that's a bit low carb!

Don't usually buy it as I prefer bacon which is so much more versatile, but you got me thinking now!

This week I bought ground pork as a change from the usual beef. Last week I was going to buy lamb chops but the butcher had some cooked sample sausages on the countertop and I came away with Gloucester Old Spot. Deelish!

Gammon can be quite versatile too, and perhaps it is a 'forgotten' food -
Yes gammon with pineapple was a popular dish ... but gammon simply served with an egg tastes good too!



@chris c
do like the sound of those Gloucester Old Spot sausages

All the best Jan

What is Rarebit? Well it is a dish of melted and seasoned cheese, which can be served on gammon ...

Ingredients:
Serves Four
4 pieces of un-smoked Gammon Steak (you can use two larger steaks cut in half).
100g English Medium Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 small onion, finely diced
1 Egg, beaten
1 tsp English Mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp lager (optional)

Method:

1. Snip the fat of the gammon several times and if two larger steaks used, cut each in half.  Place on a grill rack under a preheated grill for 3-4 minutes each side.

2. Meanwhile, mix the cheese, onion, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and lager (if using).

3. Spoon the rarebit mixture on top of the gammon and grill for a further 5 minutes until golden. Serve simply with green beans, (or vegetables of your choice).

If served simply - only 3.4g carbs per serving.

I hope you may enjoy this quick and easy recipe idea ...

All the best Jan

Can't life be funny sometimes ...

Having only just posted up this gammon recipe idea yesterday - today we had a very nice lunch out with family ... and on the menu was gammon served with either pineapple or fried egg (I had fried egg) mushrooms and tomatoes. French fries were also on the menu but I asked for them to be left off my plate and had a side dish of mixed salad. Absolutely delicious and my halo is shining

Our youngest grandson turn down the chips too, he really isn't a fan of them. He tucked into his chicken, peas and sweetcorn and also had a little salad. His reward came with a nice serving of vanilla ice-cream ... well when you are a ninja warrior or helping bob the builder you need to eat up your lunch don't you

A very nice day - hope yours was good too.

All the best Jan

I just grate some cheddar and grill on top of the gammon. Goes down a treat with a fried mushroom and seasonal greens - the runners have pretty much ended but brussels sprouts and purple sprouting broccoli have returned so now i have to choose . . .

chris c wrote:I just grate some cheddar and grill on top of the gammon. Goes down a treat with a fried mushroom and seasonal greens - the runners have pretty much ended but brussels sprouts and purple sprouting broccoli have returned so now i have to choose . . .

... and what a great choice to.

Brussels one day and purple sprouting broccoli the next !
Or even a little of both on the plate

One thing we don't lack is a good choice of non starchy vegetables ...

All the best Jan

Jan1 wrote:

Rarebit topped Gammon with green beans

What is Rarebit? Well it is a dish of melted and seasoned cheese, which can be served on gammon ...

Ingredients:
Serves Four
4 pieces of un-smoked Gammon Steak (you can use two larger steaks cut in half).
100g English Medium Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 small onion, finely diced
1 Egg, beaten
1 tsp English Mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp lager (optional)

Method:

1. Snip the fat of the gammon several times and if two larger steaks used, cut each in half.  Place on a grill rack under a preheated grill for 3-4 minutes each side.

2. Meanwhile, mix the cheese, onion, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and lager (if using).

3. Spoon the rarebit mixture on top of the gammon and grill for a further 5 minutes until golden. Serve simply with green beans, (or vegetables of your choice).

If served simply - only 3.4g carbs per serving.

I hope you may enjoy this quick and easy recipe idea ...

All the best Jan

Yes ... bumping this recipe up

But it is so quick, easy and tasty ...

All the best Jan

Talking with family earlier today my mouth was watering!

They were telling me about the wonderful Roast Gammon they had enjoyed last weekend, I felt quite envious! LOL!

You can't beat a Roast dinner and a joint of gammon ... just delicious

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-cook-and-prepare-gammon-and-ham *

I think they had theirs at a local carvery, it sounded delicious.

All the best Jan

* not all recipes shown here may be suitable for diabetics

Earlier I looked at the gammon rashers in the butcher's but decided this week I'd have lamb's liver and ground beef, and a huge piece of Hereford rump steak which I have just demolished with half a tree of broccoli.

I still have some Gloucester Old Spot sausages and pheasant breasts from the farm shop and a bloater from the fish van so didn't want to go overboard!

Thanks for the idea though, I'll definitely put gammon on the list for next week.

OK, got the gammon, and some cheddar to grate over the top and grill. Now, broccoli or the last of the asparagus? (I got the lamb chops too, you can never be too careful)

Ingredients:
Serves Six
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs flat leaf parsley
2 sprigs thyme
1.3kg (2 1/2lb) smoked gammon joint
1/2tsp black peppercorns
1 small onion, halved

For the sauce:
40g (1 1/2oz) unsalted butter
40g (1 1/2oz) flour
large handful dill, finely chopped
small handful parsley, finely chopped
30ml (2tbsp) French mustard
5ml (1tsp) clear honey

See method and more here
https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/scandinavian-style-smoked-gammon-with-parsley-sauce.html

All the best Jan

Jan1 wrote:

Gammon Steaks Make A Great Meal

Now what does some lovely gammon steak ...

... some cleaned and quartered mushrooms

and sliced leeks ...

... have in common?

The answer is they make a delicious meal! I first discovered this recipe idea back in 2014, and have used it quite a lot since! If you'd like to give it a try, this is what you do ...

Ingredients - Serves Four
15g unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
250g closed cup chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 large leek, washed, trimmed and sliced
50g of spring onions, trimmed and sliced
4 x un-smoked gammon steaks approx 150g each
2 teaspoons of French Dijon mustard
150ml chicken stock
125ml soured cream
Fresh flat leaf parsley about 10 - 15 grams - chopped
Ground black pepper to season

Method
1. Heat the butter and half of the oil in a frying pan.
2. Add the mushrooms and fry over a high heat for approx 2 - 3 minutes.
3. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Add the leek and spring onions to your pan with the rest of the oil.
5. Cook on a medium heat for about 8 - 10 minutes.
6. Preheat your grill, high setting, and then grill the gammon for approx four minutes each side until cooked through.
7. Add the mustard and chicken stock to the pan with the cooked onions. Stir in the soured cream and simmer for about 1 minute.
8. Return the mushrooms to the pan, add the chopped parsley, season to your liking with ground black pepper.

Meanwhile ... you would have prepared and cooked your choice of vegetables to accompany ... and so serve the gammon steak topped with the delicious mushroom and leek sauce, with your vegetables ... and maybe a glass of white wine ...

All the best Jan

A bumped post from 2016 ...
But still a favourite recipe

All the best Jan