Our neighbourhood farmers’ market comes every Sunday, and brings with it a stunning range of seasonal fruit and veg, affordable fish, good-quality meat with cheap cuts galore, plus cheeses, breads and much more. For me, going there and chatting to and supporting the stallholders and farmers (many of whom I have now known for years) feels a bit like going to church; there’s something soulful about it, wrapped in community spirit. But it can mess with my Sunday lunch timings, so here is a rich, comforting braise that you can start before you go out to do your favourite Sunday ritual. I hope you love it as much as we did and which should supply some delicious ham leftovers for sandwiches.
Braised brown sugar ham hock with harissa lentils and creme fraiche (pictured top)
This delicious sugar- and mustard-crusted ham hock with braised lentils flecked with a touch of harissa is a total feast.
Prep 15 min
Cook 2 hr 40 min
Serves 4-5
1.4kg smoked ham hock, skin peeled off
1 onion, peeled
440ml cider
1 tsp black peppercorns
120g dijon mustard, plus extra to serve
3-4 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
For the lentils
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
Salt and black pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp harissa
400g green lentils
1 large handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Juice and grated zest of ½ lemon
To serve
Creme fraiche
Steamed greens or a crisp salad to serve
Submerge the ham hock in a large pan of cold water, cover and bring to a boil. Once the water is bubbling, drain it off – this will remove any excess salt from the ham. Cover the ham again with cold water, then add the onion, cider and peppercorns, pop the lid back on and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 90 minutes, topping up with boiling water as necessary.
Drain, reserving the braising liquid, and transfer the ham to a rack in a roasting dish.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Spoon enough mustard over the hock to cover it generously, then pat the sugar all over it, too. Reserve 500ml of the braising liquid for the lentils, then pour enough of the remaining liquid into the dish around, but not touching, the ham, to fill it by several inches. Roast for 40-50 minutes, until the meat is caramelised on the outside and tender and falling apart underneath. Turn off the oven, cover the meat with foil and leave in the oven with the door ajar to keep warm.
Meanwhile, set a large saucepan over a high heat, then turn down the heat to medium, pour in the olive oil and saute the onion, carrots and celery for 10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the garlic and bay leaves, and cook for a few minutes. Add the harissa and lentils, stir for another minute, then pour in the reserved braising liquid and 500ml water, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a low simmer and cook, covered, for 25-30 minutes, until the lentils are tender. They should be brothy; if they look dry, loosen with a few more ladles of the ham cooking water. Season with salt and pepper, some lemon juice and a few tablespoons of olive oil, then stir in most of the parsley.
When you’re ready to eat, ladle the lentils into bowls and lay slices of the ham to one side of them. Spoon over some creme fraiche and a dollop of mustard, then scatter over the remaining parsley and a little lemon zest. Season with lots of black pepper and serve with steamed greens or a crisp salad.
Toasted pecan praline sundae
Toasted pecans seasoned with burnt, salty sugar transform vanilla-scented ice-cream into a crazily good pudding.
Prep 5 min
Cook 50
Freeze 4 hr+
Serves 8-10
360ml whole milk
360ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla pod, split
5 large egg yolks
40g golden caster sugar
¼ tsp salt
200g condensed milk
For the praline
200g pecans
100g golden caster sugar
½ tsp fine sea salt
First, make the ice-cream base. Warm the milk, cream and vanilla in a medium saucepan. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, then pour in the warm milk, whisking as you do so. Pour the mix back into the saucepan.
Wash the egg yolk bowl, tip in the condensed milk and set aside. Put the custard pan back on a medium heat and cook, stirring regularly, until it thickens to the consistency of double cream and coats the back of the spoon. (You can raise the heat to speed up the process, but keep stirring and be careful that the mix doesn’t curdle.) Whisk the custard into the condensed milk, then pop in the fridge to cool.
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Scatter the pecans over a baking tray and toast for 12-14 minutes, until golden. Line a second tray with silicon or baking paper.
Meanwhile, put the sugar, salt and two tablespoons of water in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat and swirl to melt the sugar. Once the sugar has melted, let it simmer while swirling the pan to distribute the darkening patches. Once the caramel is smelling deliciously toasted and is an even dark brown, pour it over the lined tray and leave somewhere cool to set for about 10 minutes. Once set, tip into a food processor and blitz to breadcrumbs. Weigh out 140g and put the rest in a serving bowl.
Freeze the custard in suitable container, stirring every half an hour, for about two hours, until it starts to thicken, then stir in the reserved 140g praline and freeze again, stirring every half-hour, for another two hours-plus, until set. (If you have an ice-cream machine, simply churn the custard with the praline until set.)
Serve the ice-cream in small bowls topped with a sprinkling of extra praline, with the rest in a bowl at the table. Hot chocolate sauce is always a good extra, too.
