This time of year makes us want wholesome food and we want to spend wisely. Growing up, my mother would but a ham hock/joint and cook it in water, forming a stew. She would then use the stock for soup (usually lentil) and we would have the meat from the joint as part of our dinner that night. There would often be enough for either another night, or for sandwiches at lunchtime the following day.
As an adult, having had thousands of portions of lentil soup throughout my life, I tend to veer away from it these days. Instead, I would use this ham for pea and ham or potato and leek soup, or even for tomato and butterbean soup, then leave it to rest before covering it in something sweet (maple syrup or jam or even coke) and roasting it in a moderate to high oven for a half hour – 40 minutes.
The great thing is that this can be used for many other meats and poultry, and it can also be used on some sturdier vegetables – cook them off, then roast them. Of course, for veg you need to reduce the time in the oven considerably.
The reason i use ham as my example (apart from it being much cheaper than chicken/beef) is that this was what I got as a child on a regular basis and it really is tasty. It is also approaching Yule/Christmas, and our ancestors often used ham at this celebration prior to turkey being brought over from America. When I roast this meat in the oven, I put all the veg I want at that meal in with the ham, so that they absorb the juices of the meat.
Enjoy!
