ham hock and pig hock bargain food!

rachbc

ahh I remember before ham hock was trendy and the cost £1.50!

They are brill - must get one tomorrow

trifles

3-4 cloves are really good for ham stock when cooking a hock or ham ribs.Makes the stock even richer.Just fish them out after cooking the ham-quite easy as they swell up!

Pink.

Hi foxgloves,

I did exactly the same thing at the weekend only I made lentil soup.

We have an existing thread on ham hock which has lots of ideas:

ham hock and pig hock bargain food!

I'll add this thread to that one later to keep the replies together.

Pink

Stephen_Leak

BOILED HAM plus PEA & HAM SOUP

If you are going to boil a ham joint, make some pea & ham soup at the same time.

For 4 servings of soup

INGREDIENTS

1 ham joint
500g of peas
1 litre of water
Ground black pepper to taste

METHOD

Rinse the ham in cold water, then soak the ham in cold water for at least 6 hours, changing the water once or twice if it is very salty, or according to any cooking instructions. If you are using dried peas, soak them in water according to the instructions on the box.

Put the ham and water into a large saucepan on a medium heat. If you are using dried peas, add them now. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering).

Put the lid on the saucepan and cook according to the cooking instructions on the ham. Check the liquid level from time to time and top up if it starts to dry out. Remove any white salt scum, which will probably form on the surface of the water.

Remove the ham. Adjust the amount of water back to 1 litre.

If you are using tinned peas, open the tins, drain off the water and add them now. If you are using fresh or frozen peas, add them now.

Continue cooking until the peas are soft. Check the liquid level from time to time and top up if it starts to dry out.

If you have a food processor, put the soup in it and blend it to the desired consistency. If you have a hand blender, put it in the soup and blend it to the desired consistency. If you don’t have a food processor or hand blender, use a potato masher, press the soup through a sieve with the back of a spoon, or leave it lumpy. If you used a food processor, rinse out the saucepan and put the soup back into the saucepan.

Put the saucepan on a low heat and reheat the soup gently.

Season with the pepper.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

You can use dried, fresh, frozen or tinned peas, either on their own or in any combination. Dried peas need to be soaked in advance. Tinned peas come in water and the drained weight of a 300g tin of peas is 185g, so you will need three tins.

Add some of the cooked ham to the soup before blending.

Shred some the cooked ham and sprinkle it onto the soup before serving.

zippychick

Pink-winged wrote: »

Hi foxgloves,

I did exactly the same thing at the weekend only I made lentil soup.

We have an existing thread on ham hock which has lots of ideas:

ham hock and pig hock bargain food!

I'll add this thread to that one later to keep the replies together.

Pink

I reckon foxgloves must have subliminally remembered the title from the previous thread - almost identical! :rotfl:

PS - I made pea and ham soup for the first time ever recently and it certainly wasn't to my taste buds. Not sure if it's a regional thing.....:o

anguk

1sttimer wrote: »

That was a good bargain indeed!

Last time I tried anything like that was when I got a chicken at a throw out price at ASDA. Cooked the chicken, made the Sunday lunch, put remainder in fridge to make sandwiches/quiche, then put the carcass into a pan with onion, carrotts etc, boiled them down to make a stock, ..........then proceeded to drain the water down the sink - leaving me with a collander full of chicken bones and overcooked vegetables:eek:

Funnily enough, my sister did the same thing too! (must run in the family!)

I did exactly the same the other day. Cooked a lovely gammon joint in the slow cooker, had some sliced for tea, left the stock to cool (intending to stick it in the freezer for soups) and absent-mindedly tipped it down the sink. :eek: I was so cross with myself but it's not the first time I've done it and I'm sure it won't be the last either.

Pink.

anguk wrote: »

I did exactly the same the other day. Cooked a lovely gammon joint in the slow cooker, had some sliced for tea, left the stock to cool (intending to stick it in the freezer for soups) and absent-mindedly tipped it down the sink. :eek: I was so cross with myself but it's not the first time I've done it and I'm sure it won't be the last either.

I feel your pain! I have strained stock straight down the sink in the past. It's a horrible feeling.

Pink

northender

I don't think ham hocks have made it to the trendy food league here. I get them regularly from the local farm shop for around £1.80. It is the most satisfying feeling getting so many meals out of such a cheap bit of meat. I did mine in the slow cooker at the weekend and then used the liquid to cook the chicken carcass (from Sunday dinner) in for stock. Now I just have to decide what soup to make tomorrow!

rhubarbcottage

I bought a gammon joint from the Morrisons butcher today for £1.74. They have them all the time (Newcastle upon Tyne).
They're delicious so long as you remember to bring them to the boil and throw away that water, then boil or roast them - otherwise they're far too salty.

They also have the plain pork shanks for @£2.00 that you can boil or roast without worrying about any salt content.

It's a super piece of meat that I've done in the slow cooker too.

Delicious! Especially with Pease Pudding ,a North East delicacy - remember the nursery song 'pease pudding hot, pease pudding cold, pease pudding in the pot, nine days old' - the best pease pudding comes from lentils cooked with the hock then strained and pureed.

Amber_Babies

I bought one of these today too. £2. bargain! I've just put it in the slow cooker for the night. I'll endevour to get 11 portions like OP!!