It's the bridesmaid of the Christmas meal, the ham. Shoved out of the spotlight by the big bird, destined to play only the straight man to the highlight-hogging main attraction, too little care is showered on the ham as we feverishly prepare every other detail of the meal.
It's an unjust fate, for a good ham should be as pivotal a part of the festive meal as a good bird. Carefully cooked, its texture and taste offer a perfect contrast to the turkey, and as a leftover it is delicious.
So let's reassert the importance of the ham, starting by sourcing a good gammon, and then cooking it with care. If you buy a standard gammon, it will need a good soaking to remove the saltiness before you cook it, so to save some time - and to get an unimpeachably fine piece of gammon - look out for the cured legs of pork from the Rudd family, of Busherstown in Co Offaly. Rudds' bacon and sausages are among the best you can buy, and because their pigs are reared with care and properly fed, their hams are superb.
This recipe, from Prue Rudd, is for a classic glazed gammon. Firstly the gammon is cooked in cider, which gives it marvellous flavour - hams also respond well to cooking in wine and beer. Hams should always be cooked just below simmering point, any higher and the meat will toughen. Prue Rudd directs that a ham should be cooked for 30 minutes per pound, plus 30 minutes. So an average sized whole ham of 15lbs weight will take five hours' cooking. Apart from the low-salt Rudd's ham, most hams need an overnight soaking, which should be done in cold water.
Rudd's Classic Glazed Gammon
Ham
4 bay leaves
8 whole cloves
12 peppercorns
2 onions, sliced
2 pints cider
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons Muscavado sugar
1 tablespoon English mustard
Place an upturned enamel plate into a large saucepan. Add 2 pints of cider, 4 bay leaves, 8 whole cloves, 12 peppercorns, and 2 sliced onions. Add water to cover the gammon and place the lid on.
Bring to the boil slowly and simmer for 30 minutes. Place saucepan in simmering oven or continue cooking on the top plate. When cooked remove from the liquid and leave to sit for 30 minutes.
Carefully remove the skin by placing a knife under a portion and gently peel back over the rind. Trim excess fat cover (discretionary) and score in diamond shapes. It is important to leave a layer of fat in order for the glaze to adhere).
To glaze: Mix together 1 tablespoon English mustard with half teaspoon ground cloves and then rub over the fat. Pat on the 2 tablespoons Muscovado sugar. Use either a blow-torch or a very hot oven to seal the glaze, but be careful, because sugar burns very easily. Thirty minutes in a hot oven should do the trick - a blow-torch will do the job in minutes.
Prue suggests an optional decoration of cherries or whole cloves.
This simple recipe turns leftover ham into a glorious gratin of creamy flavours. An ideal St Stephen's Day meal.
Ham and Mushroom Gratin
500g (1lb) cooked ham, thickly sliced
1/4 litre (8 fl oz) dry white wine
250g (8oz) field mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
50g (2oz) butter
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
3 to 4 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and roughly chopped
20cl (7 fl oz) double cream
salt and pepper
Arrange the ham slices in a gratin dish, sprinkle them with a little of the wine, and put the dish, covered (with aluminium foil if it has no lid), in an oven preheated to 150C/350 F/gas mark 2, while preparing the sauce.
Place the mushrooms in a saucepan with the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon water, and half of the butter. Cover, and cook over a high heat until they come to a foaming boil. Strain the mushroom liquid into another saucepan, reserving the mushrooms. Add to it the remaining wine and the shallot, and cook the mixture, uncovered, over a high heat until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes, and cook for 20 minutes to reduce again. Add the cream and reduce further until the sauce has thickened. Drain the juices from the ham dish into the sauce, and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Finish the sauce, off the heat, by whisking in the remaining butter.
Spread the mushrooms onto the ham, and cover the surface with the sauce. Place under a hot grill for 1 to 2 minutes until the surface begins to brown. Serve immediately, while the sauce is still bubbling.