I bought a ham hock to cook at Christmas but it never got cooked and just reclined in the freezer. I love ham hock. I know there's a lot of fat and bone but once those have been dealt with the meat which is left is delicious and very economical.
Into the slow cooker it went, just with water. Sometimes I add herbs or veg but this time I cooked it totally plain. I then had some hot ham with a baked potato and roast vegetables.
But today has been even better. Soup! When I took the hock from the slow cooker I kept the liquor as it's some of the tastiest stock I can make. Yesterday I chopped celery, carrots, onions, potatoes and sweet potatoes and put them all in the stock. Once I'd taken the meat off the bone I put the bone in too. I set the cooker to high and left the pot to simmer for four hours then switched it off and left it overnight.
This morning I put the pot on again for a couple of hours then (once I'd removed the bones) blitzed the lot. It tasted amazing! I then added a tin of sweetcorn to make the texture a bit more interesting. Food fit for a queen!
I've had several meals from the hock quite apart from that first one. So far it's done another ham-and-roast-veg meal and several sandwich meals and there's still quite a bit left. Not bad for a £3 joint
First year in ages no ham in my house as I did meatballs and chicken. I waited to read blitz, such a UK US difference in soup preference.
ReplyDeleteAs kids we ate ham hock, mum was a master at using cheap cuts of meat for meals. We ofter get a shoulder of lamb for the slow cooker.
ReplyDeleteSounds delicious. I am a great fan of a ham hock.
ReplyDeleteI love ham hock, I haven't had one for years. As you say versatile and amazing g flavour.
ReplyDeleteI never have cooked a ham hock, but you really make me want to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
It is dangerous to leave the ham out overnight. Even the vegetables in meat broth can spoil overnight and make you sick. It does sound delicious.
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