A good quality ham can make your meal festive whatever the season. Here are my 5 top tips to get the most from your ham! For inspiration, I have linked to this post to a fantastic glazed ham recipe and a perfect Ham Lentil and vegetable soup recipe to try if you manage to have any leftovers!!!!
There is definitely an art form to cutting or carving a ham especially one with a bone in it. To carve, use a sharp thin long carving knife to cut slices of ham away from the bone, this will ensure you have even slices that are the full size of the ham. Follow the grain of the meat, laying the slices on a platter as you go and working around the bone. Turn ham over and repeat on the other side.
Megan Rizzo Photography
To store a cooked ham pre and post-baking, wrap the ham in a calico cloth, or a clean piece of sheet that has been soaked in a vinegar solution of ¾cup of white vinegar with 1 ½ litres of water. This will keep the ham moist and stop it from drying out.
To serve ham warm on Christmas day, you can prepare it the day before. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to bake and glaze it.
Leftover ham on the bone can be covered in a vinegared cloth and then refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. If you are keeping it for that long, rinse out your cloth every 3 days with the prepared vinegar solution, to keep the ham moist.
You can keep leftover ham in the freezer for up to 6 weeks although it is perfect to add to soups, scrambled eggs, omelettes, sandwiches, salads, pasta, fried rice on pizzas and wherever else you want that delicious smoked flavour.
https://mlauvigayppp.i.optimole.com/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/f:avif/https://dominiquerizzo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Baked-Glazed-Ham1.jpg15001000Dominique Rizzohttps://dominiquerizzo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Dominique-Rizzo-Pure-food-logo.pngDominique Rizzo2017-12-14 15:34:032019-12-19 12:59:225 Top Tips to get the most from your ham
If you think it’s all strawberries and ice cream at the Ekka, then think again. At the Food and Wine stage, it is everything from kangaroo damper to edible flowers to gelati, to native fruits, to dagwood dogs, to gnocchi and sausage making, mixing it up with Country & Western singers, our fabulous boys in blue.
That’s what the Food & Wine Storyline at the EKKA in 2017 with Chef Dominique Rizzo is all about.
As the host of the Food & Wine Stage in the Woolworths Pavillion, Dominique welcomed her fabulous guest presenters by day and then cooked up a storm at night for her special “Dinners with Dom“.
Dominique’s shares with you two of her favourite recipes from this year’s EKKA that will be easy for you to cook at home and enjoy with yourwww.kullillaart.com.au/coo-ee-cuisine-bush-food-kitchen-recipe-book and friends.
1st Recipe
Dale Chapman from First Food Co (Aust) Pty Ltd
Straight from Dale’s Cooee Cuisine cookbook is a native spice rub rubbed onto a kangaroo fillet. Showcasing a wattleseed damper sliced into thin slices for the finished creation of a kangaroo bruschetta.
Native Spice Kangaroo Damper Bruschetta
Ingredients:
½ tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tbsp ground pepper berries
½ tbsp. chilli peppers
2 tbsp ground lemon myrtle
2 tbsp dried finger lime
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp native mint
2 tbsp toasted coconut
Kangaroo fillet
3 cups self-raising flour
½ cup extra self raising flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup powdered milk
½ cup soda water
2 tbsp wattleseed
2 cups oil
Steps:
Wild Spice Rub:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Kangaroo:
Add olive oil to make a wet mixture to brush over kangaroo fillet.
Salt and pepper kangaroo.
Cook kangaroo in a hot pan for 10-15 minutes.
Let rest and slice thinly.
Damper:
Sift flour, add wattleseed, fold in soda water, adding more if you need it.
Very quickly combine and dust surface with extra flour and knead.
Make into shape of a loaf and bake in a moderate oven for 10-12 minutes.
Slice into 1cm slices, brush with oil and char grill.
Our very talented country and western singers on the Food & Wine Storyline:
Country and Western musician
Country & Western singer, songwriter, musician Felicity Kircher with her father Robert
2nd Recipe
“Dinner with Dom” recipe:
Pasta curls with Italian pork sausage, sage, radicchio and parmesan
Ingredients:
750 grams pork and fennel sausages
150 grams thick-cut pancetta, diced
2 brown onions, peeled and diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
3 celery stalks, finely sliced
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons tomato paste
400 ml red wine
600 ml chicken stock
400 grams tinned crushed tomatoes
3 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs oregano
salt and pepper
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
Fried sage
Radicchio baked with honey garlic dressing
Shaved parmesan
Steps:
Remove the skins from the sausages and crumble the meat. Discard the skins. Heat a heavy-based pot over medium heat, then add the sausage meat and pancetta. Fry until the sausage meat is golden brown, stirring every few minutes.
Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, bay leaves, dried chilli and fennel seeds. Stir in well. The vegetables will sweat a little and ease all the crusty, caramelized pieces from the bottom of the pot.
Continue to cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the vegetables are soft and slightly caramelized. Add the tomato paste and red wine and bring to a simmer. Add the stock, tinned tomatoes, rosemary, and oregano and continue to simmer for about 45 minutes on low heat, until you have a thick, intense sauce consistency. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
When cooked, season the ragu carefully (the sausages will already be salted), then add the olive oil and the cooked pasta. Bring the pot to the table.
The people in the know about the Food and Wine Storyline:
Qld Police
Anooska Tucker-Evans, The Courier Mail
And the best behind the scenes team ever:
Maggie Hollingdale
The Woolworths Pavillion at the EKKA
Where it all happens: the Woolworths Pavillion at the Brisbane EKKA
https://dominiquerizzo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Dominique-Outdoor-Headshot-LR-scaled.jpg20481366Dominique Rizzohttps://dominiquerizzo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Dominique-Rizzo-Pure-food-logo.pngDominique Rizzo2017-09-06 17:19:592017-09-14 12:08:33Food & Wine Storyline with Chef Dominique Rizzo
Grain Power
Quinoa is a rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavour when cooked.
Most commonly considered a grain, quinoa is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard.
It is a recently rediscovered ancient “grain” once considered “the gold of the Incas” that has been cultivated for over 5,000 years. The Incas considered it a sacred food and referred to it as the “mother seed.” As happens throughout history, things changed when the Spanish conquerors destroyed the fields in which quinoa was grown; made it illegal for the Indians to grow quinoa. The cultivation of quinoa was all but extinguished.
Now we are lucky enough to be enjoying it and its health benefits in the 21st century.
Eating quinoa on a regular basis is known to help ease migraine headaches, relax blood vessels for cardiovascular health, provide antioxidant protection by guarding other cells, such as red blood cells, from injury caused by free radicals and is an excellent source of fibre, protective against breast cancer.
For a lovely toasted flavour to the grain, try rinsing the quinoa and then toasting it to get rid of the green, raw, and slightly bitter taste this grain may have.
Both of these salads are fabulous for at-home or take-to-work lunches and they are both really easy to prepare when you don’t have much time to cook but want a really healthy option.
Ingredients
• ½ cup of quinoa
• 100g broccolini or broccoli florets
• 2 shallots sliced
• 1/3-cup sun dried tomatoes, drained of most of the oil, chopped
• 50g feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tsp. honey
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
Steps:
1. Place the quinoa into a saucepan and cover with water; bring the water to the boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes.
2. In the last 8-9 minutes, add in the asparagus and the broccoli and continue cooking until all of the liquid has been cooked out.
3. Tip the quinoa and the vegetables into a bowl and allow to cool.
4. Add in the sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese and sunflower seeds. Combine the ingredients for the dressing and serve.
5. You could also add 75 grams of cooked protein or cooked legumes to this salad.
Ingredients
• 10 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
• 1/3 cup roasted capsicum, sliced
• 8 black olives chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups shredded Swiss chard or wild greens
• 3/4-teaspoon salt
• 2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained * (or a mixture of quinoa, millet and brown rice)
• 1/2-teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, roasted
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Place the toasted rinsed quinoa into a saucepan and cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook the quinoa until the grain slightly swells and is soft to the bite. Drain the quinoa and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a fry pan and sauté the onions, garlic and spinach for 2 minutes or until softened. Combine the quinoa with the spinach mixture in a bowl and add all the other ingredients, adjust the seasoning and drizzle in a little olive oil.
Other salad options – substitute your favourite salad leaves and vegetables for those listed here.
https://mlauvigayppp.i.optimole.com/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/f:avif/https://dominiquerizzo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/4-RSZ-grains-on-board.jpg652488Dominique Rizzohttps://dominiquerizzo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Dominique-Rizzo-Pure-food-logo.pngDominique Rizzo2015-08-11 16:27:092015-08-11 16:27:09Grain Power
