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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Ham Corn and Capsicum Pasta

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Ham corn and capsicum pasta is a yummy dish which can be served like a salad or as a warm main dish. You can use leftover ham or other meats for it too. Chili flakes can give it a touch of spice if preferred.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 slices ham off the bone

400g spiral pasta

50g baby rocket leaves

1 red capsicum, sliced

300g can corn kernels, drained

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

3 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

 

Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water according to packet instructions or until it is al dente. Drain and set aside.

Combine the Italian seasoning, olive oil and red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk until well combined. Season it with salt and pepper.

Place the pasta in a large bowl. Add the corn, capsicum, rocket, Parmesan and red wine vinegar and olive oil mixture. Gently toss to combine all the ingredients. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper if desired. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

 

Image from  [F]oxymoron

Croque Monsieur

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Croque monsieur is a sandwich of French origin. According to Wikipedia, it is their version of a fast food snack which is often served in cafes or bars. I love the combination of tastes. To me it is a union of French toast and a ham and cheese sandwich. It is perfect for breakfast or snacks. Emmental and Gruyere cheese  are often used for this dish, but feel free to use other kinds such as mozzarella if desired.  You may also sprinkle it with confectioners’ sugar if you want to add some sweetness to it.

 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 slices of bread

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

4 slices of ham

4 slices Gruyere cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons butter

Grated cheese

Salad greens, for serving

French fries, for serving

 

Get a slice of bread. Spread mayonnaise on each and then top it with mustard. Do this for the remaining bread. Place a slice of ham and cheese on a piece of bread and then put another slice of bread on top of it. Cut the sandwiches using cookie cutters if desired.

Next, combine the flour and egg in a medium sized bowl. After, melt the butter in a non-stick skillet. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture and then fry them in the skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer it to a serving plate or individual plates and sprinkle with grated cheese before serving. Serve with salad greens and fries.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:   TAYLOR149

Pineapple Glazed Ham

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Ham is a bestseller in almost any gathering. Here is a sweet and salty ham recipe that you can prepare for Easter and serve to family and friends.

 

Ingredients:

2 medium pineapples, peeled lengthwise, cored, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

3 cups sugar

2 cups water

1/4 cup country-style mustard

1 smoked, bone-in ham (10 pounds)

40 whole cloves

1 cup dry white wine

 

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.

Place the pineapples, sugar, and water in a large saucepan under high heat. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until the pineapples are translucent and the liquid is reduced and thick. Transfer pineapple glaze to a bowl and stir in the mustard.

Score the ham with a sharp knife and make 1 1/2 inch diamonds. Place a clove at the center of each diamond. Transfer the ham to a roasting pan and pour wine on it. Glaze the ham with half of the pineapple glaze. Cover the roasting pan in foil and bake it for 1 hour. Remove the ham.

Glaze the ham with the remaining pineapple glaze. Bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes or until it is brown. Baste occasionally. Once it is cooked. Transfer the ham to a cutting board. Let it cool for 30 minutes before carving. Serve with pan drippings and cooked pineapple.

 

Photo Courtesy Of: avlxyz

 

 

Melting Cheese and Ham Parcel

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To get the crisp outer that you’re craving for on this dish, make sure that the oven is hot enough before you put anything in – turn the oven on at around 250C about an thirty minutes before you start to prepare anything, otherwise the pastry could be disappointingly soggy!

Ham and Cheese Pastry

To Serve 4
3tbsp Crème Fraiche
1tbsp Dijon Mustard
370g Packet Puff Pastry
350g Good Quality Ham, sliced
175g Gruyere Cheese, thinly sliced or grated
1 Egg Yolk, beaten
Sea Salt

1. Mix the Crème Fraiche and Dijon Mustard together well. Roll out a third of the Puff Pastry into a rectangle around thirty by twenty five centimetres, and place on a Baking Sheet.
2. Spread a third of the Mustard Mixture evenly across the pastry, leaving a centimetre border. Top with a layer of Ham, all of the Cheese, then another layer of Ham.
3. Spread the rest of the Mustard Mixture over the top of the Ham, then brush the Puff Pastry border with the Egg Yolk.
4. Roll out the rest of the Pastry to a rectangle around two or three centimetres larger than the base. Place over the filling, and press the edges firmly together, trimming any extras off if required.
5. Brush the top with Beaten Egg Yolk, and chill for fifteen minutes.
6. Cook the parcel at 220C for around twenty five minutes, or until the Pastry Base is cooked, and is Golden Brown. If it begins to burn around the edges, cover with some foil, then return to the heat.

Allow to stand for five minutes before sprinkling with Sea Salt, and serving with seasonal vegetables. You could also sprinkle some extra Cheese over the top five minutes before finishing in the oven, and leaving it to bubble and turn golden brown and crispy.

Photo Courtesy of: mrsdewinter

Maple Glazed Gammon with Papaya Salsa

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This is a great Summer Picnic dish, but also can be used if the Gammon Joint (once boiled and glazed) is served hot with Seasonal Vegetables – such as Baby Broad Beans, Peas or Green Beans, along with Buttered New Potatoes.

Gammon Joints

As with most Gammon Recipes, this dish serves a large amount – so it’s great for Large family meetings, or if you’re REALLY hungry!

To Serve 12
2.3kg Piece of Smoked Gammon
1 Bay Leaf
Parsley Stalks
2tbsp Maple Syrup
2tsp American Mustard
40g Soft Brown Sugar
1 Ripe Papaya
4 Spring Onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 Fresh Green Chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
3tbsp Chopped Fresh Coriander
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt

1. Place the Gammon in a large pan, cover with cold water, then add the Bay Leaf and Parsley Stalks. Slowly bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for two hours.
2. Remove the Gammon from the pan, and leave to cool slightly. Remove the skin, leaving the layer of fat still on the joint. Place the Joint in a roasting tin, and score through the fat in a diamond pattern – make sure you go through the fat each time, but that you don’t puncture the flesh.
3. Mix the Maple Syrup with the American Mustard and Brown Sugar, then spread over the Scored Fat. Cook in the oven at 190C, for twenty to thirty minutes until the Fat is glazed and golden brown, basting frequently with the juices from the pan. Remove from the Oven and leave to cool.
4. Around thirty minutes before serving, create the Papaya Salsa. Halve the Papaya, and remove the seeds, before removing the peel and finely chopping the flesh, before placing in a serving bowl, along with the Spring Onions, Chilli, Coriander and Lime Juice, seasoning with Salt to taste.
5. Carve the Gammon into thick slices and serve with the Salsa.

Photo Courtesy of: matysek

Skewered Tiger Prawns with Parma Ham

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Grilled inside, these taste great, and are superb party food – either as a starter on a plate accompanied with a fresh Green Leaf salad, or as a canapé on cocktail sticks or as they are, but grill them outdoors on a barbecue and then enjoy a complete masterpiece – especially after a couple of practice runs to know how much time the Prawns will need to be cooked to perfection!

Grilled Prawns

For a variation on this recipe, add wedges of Lemon or Lime onto the Skewers, before grilling. You could also try mixing a tablespoon of White Rum into the Marinade. If you want a bit more heat, leave the Chilli Seeds in the marinade mixture.

To serve 4
225g Raw Tiger Prawns
65g Parma Ham
1 Shallot, peeled and finely Chopped
1 Garlic Clove, peeled and Crushed
1tsp Wholegrain Mustard
1 Small Red Chilli, deseeded and finely Sliced
1tbsp Olive Oil
½ Lemon, juiced
Salt and Pepper

1. Peel the Prawns, discarding the heads and removing the black vein down the back. Wash and dry them very well, before threading onto Skewers which have been soaking in warm water for at least thirty minutes.
2. Cut the Parma Ham into slices, and wrap around the Prawns.
3. Mix the Shallot, Garlic, Mustard, Chilli, Olive Oil and Lemon Juice together, before seasoning to taste with Salt and Pepper. Pour over the Prawn Skewers and chill for around one to two hours in a refrigerator, turning every fifteen to twenty minutes.
4. Heat a grill up, and then drain the Skewered Prawns, and cook for four to six minutes, basting with the marinade
and turning occasionally.

Photo Courtesy of: Navin75

Ham-Wrapped Chicken with a Bulgur and Watercress Salad

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Sounds posh doesn’t it. Well, it’s really very easy – and it is quite posh, but also great barbeque food.

The mix of fresh, juicy chicken, the crispness of the Watercress and the texture of the Bulgur Wheat (similar to Cous Cous) is an amazing combination of tastes, textures and colours.

chicken wrapped in ham

To serve 4

200g Bulgur Wheat

4 Chicken Fillets

3 slices Cured Ham

3 Tomatoes

½ Cucumber

½ Fennel Bulb

Juice of ½ Lemon

2tbsp Olive Oil

150g Watercress

1.       Place the Bulgur Wheat in a pan, and fill it to 5cm above the Wheat with water. Bring it to a simmer and cook for ten minutes, before draining well, and allowing to cool in a large bowl. Stir occasionally to help release the heat.

2.       Heat an oven to 180 C/ Gas Mark 4.

3.       Lightly oil a tray, before wrapping each Chicken Fillet in a slice of the Ham. Cook in the oven for fourteen minutes (or until the juices run clear from the Chicken).

Dice the Tomatoes, Cucumber and Fennel Bulb into pieces 1cm across, and mix into the Bulgur Wheat well, adding the Lemon Juice and Olive Oil as you go.

4.       To serve, lightly toss the Watercress with the Bulgur Wheat Salad, slice the Ham-wrapped Chicken Breast, and lay on a plate.

Photo Courtesy of: Naotakem