Ham

At Christmas you will find a glazed ham is a lifesaver. I like cooking as you know but when you have guests you can't spend every minute in the kitchen. They begin to feel somewhat ignored. But they do expect to be fed. The ham will do it's job. And don't think of it only at Christmas but any time you are having a crowd.

Glazing a ham is quite easy. We usually do Nigella's cranberry glaze. Ignore the instructions for cooking. We buy them already cooked here - the glaze is not complicated. This year we did an apricot glaze from Dish Magazine (issue 27). We forgot to photograph it but it really did look like this. It was delicious, but Peter says the cranberry one is easier. What glaze do you use?

Don't overlook serving it hot on the right occasion, however we glaze on Christmas Eve & start eating Christmas night - first with new boiled potatoes & salad. Over the coming days the ham appears in many guises. On sandwiches with rocket or baby spinach and cranberry sauce or blueberry chutney. Make a pasta salad - this is my classic tuna pasta but diced ham is perfect. Cook some small coloured pasta shapes according to the packet. Add a combination of diced spring onion, diced capsicum, peas & corn, hard boiled egg, radish - really whatever you have in the fridge plus diced ham (or a tin of tuna) and mix with mayonnaise. Perfect lunch and travels well for a picnic.

One evening some were off to watch the Unicycle World Championship so I cooked some fettuccine & tossed it with pesto & diced ham. Make a pea & ham risotto. Before you know it the ham will be gone and you will miss it.

When it's done throw the ham hock in a pot with 500g green split peas, a diced onion and some mint & a bay leaf and simmer for several hours. Freeze for the cooler weather (if there's any left...). Your ham has served you well.

While our visitors were here, Peter also made a paella - not our usual mixta but a seafood-free version with chicken & pork. You can make a paella with whatever you have to hand - you need a wide thin bottomed pan and remember it's the opposite to risotto - DON'T stir.

For a final New Year's Day feast, before our guests left, we did a loin of pork with lentils, red cabbage, crushed potatoes & kumara.

Then we sent them on their way with a bag of ham sandwiches.

Christmas Feasts

Christmas is the highlight of my culinary year. There is the planning & preparation, the cooking and eating and then the delight of left overs. One of the best things is that it is the same every year - family rituals to be enjoyed year after year, creating lasting memories. Our children didn't always like the Christmas food but they came to rely on the familiarity. And it is really easy if you always know what you are going to do - with a few twists & variations. I am very much a traditionalist.

In the week before the Christmas gingerbread is made and iced. This is usually a young persons' activity and we get teenagers who come especially for this activity. Then the Christmas cake is iced & decorated. I have had these decorations for a few years now and am very fond of them.

On Christmas Eve I do as much preparation as possible so that I have very little to do on the day other than eat & drink & relax with our guests & family. Our Christmas menu is the turkey with a sage & onion stuffing, and a nut roast for the vegetarians. This has been much maligned in magazines but my nut roast is much admired by non-vegetarians as well. I do a Christmas gravy using the giblets stock with the addition of a slug of scotch & cream.

For veg we have settled for roasted potato & kumara with baby carrots, capsicum & shallots plus peas & feta and grilled asparagus. This provides something for everyone and is very little effort. This year we dug our own potatoes. Boil new potatoes in their skins and prepare the other vegetables. Toss in olive oil and roast in a pan with some rosemary for 40 minutes to an hour. Boil some peas & crumble over feta. Grill asparagus & drizzle over lemon-infused olive oil.

Peter always does a summer pudding for afters. Lighter than a traditional pudding but retaining the traditional shape and using seasonal fruit.

And this year Mandy made the best ever crackers with personalised hats.

The traditional Boxing Day dinner is a Nigella salad we have been having for about 5 years now. It's a kind of Christmas Cole Slaw - red, green & white. This year served in the perfect bowl which was a Christmas gift.

In a very large bowl, mix together 2 red chillies, seeded & finely chopped; 1 clove of garlic minced; 2 tbsp caster sugar; 3 tsp rice wine vinegar; juice of a lime & 3 tbsp fish sauce and 3 tbsp vegetable oil then add 1 finely sliced red onion & some black pepper & steep about 15 minutes. Add your shredded turkey - about 500g - and steep another 15 minutes. Add half a chopped red cabbage & some sliced radishes. Last, mix through some coriander or flat-leaf parsley.

Our boxing day pudding is often a small Christmas pudding topped with Ginger Wine ice cream. I found this recipe on one of may father's tea towels & made it for him one year. It has been a firm favourite ever since not least because the ice cream doesn't ice up - the alcohol keeps it ice free. It works beautifully with the hot spicy pudding.

Combine 3 egg yolks with 1/2 tbsp water, 1 1/2 oz sugar & 3 fl oz Green ginger wine in a bowl and beat over boiling water until thick and foamy. Remove from the heat and keep beating until cool. Chill. Whip 5 fl oz cream and fold in. Pack and freeze.

Serve with hot Christmas pudding that has been flamed for the enjoyment of your guests

Then it's time to think of interesting things to do with ham.

Broadening our horizons

The broad bean season is short - even shorter than asparagus and you need to get the most out of it. This year I think I cracked it. I had been trying too hard. Broad beans are fiddly but worth it. First buy more than you think you'll need. You arrive home from the market with an enormous bag of beans and once you've podded them you have a disappointingly small pile in a bowl. Pod the beans and cook them in a pot of boiling water for 4-5 minutes - a bit less if they are very small. I put them into a pot of boiling water & boil hard with the lid off - I read that in Jane Grigson years ago & that's how I treat all greens I am boiling or blanching. Refresh them under cold water & then remove the skins. Some people don't bother but if they are a bit old the skins are really hard and may make turn you against broad beans for life. Even if they are young they are so much prettier sans skin. Just before you are ready to eat steam them for 2 minutes or put back in the original pot (you lifted them out with a slotted spoon & saved the water) & bring back to the boil. Then toss in a mustardy lemony vinaigrette - just lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper & grainy mustard. Turn into a serving dish & top with crumbled feta. I think you could substitute slices of mozzarella or bocconcini but I haven't tried it. This is the ultimate broad bean experience.

I bumped into Marie at the market last week & she mentioned that she had dined out on a broad bean past. It sounded something like this - and this was really nice. Prepare the beans to the skinned stage & boil the pasta water because none of this takes long. Mandy, you asked about an alternative to the salmon pasta & I think this is it. In a pan lightly saute a spring onion then add cream & heat - I just used the rest of a bottle I had in the fridge and added some mascarpone because it was there. Add lemon juice to give a tartness. Add half the beans & mash. You then have a slightly lumpy greenish creamy sauce. Add the remaining beans and stir through some crispy bacon - I added some prosciutto I had in the fridge. In the meantime, you have cooked your favourite ribbon egg pasta - remember it takes less than 5 minutes. Drain the pasta & mix with the sauce in the pan & turn onto a serving plate. I recommend adding the Parmesan at the table, only because it might make the sauce go gluggy. You could decorate with delicious pea tendrils if you have some.

Last week was the Thorndon Fair & I must mention Yummy Seeds - these are dry roasted seeds with soy sauce added, which you could do yourself but this seed guy does them so well. I have been buying them for years from fairs. They are fantastic sprinkled on a salad. Make your own or support the Yummy Seed guy - he's from Warkworth. He & his wife are delightful and they can really talk up seeds: tasty in salads - stir fry - sandwiches - steamed veges. I've been adding them to my salad lunches. Harriet can verify their Yumminess.