ham hock and pig hock bargain food!

Queenie

:T :T :T Great bargain, gingin!!! :T

A gammon knuckle is not only economical, but very versatile
Once you have boiled/roasted it, depending on your preference, then simply think of it in "leftover" terms as ham - If you think bacon bits or smoked ham ... you'll find there are a multitude of uses which you can put to good use.
You can make an omlette or serve it as cold cuts, or put into a gelatin mould (yay, meat in jelly!!! Kids can really enjoy that!). You can make a savoury bread n butter pudding, make a stir fry, soup (pea n ham stye) , use to stuff calzones; use to make a carbonara sauce for a speedy pasta meal; curry it (!), chop it up and make into a sweet and sour dish, hm pizza topping.
Alternatively, you can freeze it until you can think of which use to put it to

DawnW

good for soup - use any bones or bits for stock, just boil them in water to cover for an hour or so, then drain, put stock aside, picking any meat off to put back in soup, and discard the bones. Then, dice any veg you have, onion & carrot (&tomato, but see below) essential, can also add any from the following; potato, any cooked or tinned dried pulses (like beans etc), pearl barley, courgette, aubergine, cabbage, runner or broad bean, peas, parsnips, swedes, turnips, sweetcorn etc, really, any veg, fresh , frozen, dried (might need soaking) or tinned, fry for 5 mins in a tablespoon of any oil or any dripping, add the stock (or any other stock you have), simmer til veg are cooked, then stir in any meat, picked off the bones or otherwise saved, cook till all is hot. You can add posh stuff like sundried tomatoes, or your home made equivalents if you like, also add herbs or whatever suitable leftovers you have, almost anything goes, and it is different everytime. Brilliant soup, I used it loads when I was bringing up my 3 kids (and paying for their education), including serving to visitors, and everyone still loves it, with crusty bread and butter, plus cheese if you like. A bit like a skint English version of minestrone - except that I bet skint Italians think of it just like this too! It is still a treat, not just something you have when you can't afford anything else. Give it a try, see what you think.

gingin_2

Thanks for the suggestions, Queenie as usual you are a star.

DawnW- your soup sounds fab and definitely the sort of thing we love in our house. I am off to turn it into stock now and will make a nice hearty soup for the kids for dinner tonight based on your ideas and I will also enjoy it for my lunch.

Jo6673

Had my leftover gammon tonight- diced and baked in mash potato and cheese- lovely cheesy potato pie!

morganlefay

I bought what was labelled as a 'ham shank' in Morrison's for £1.29 on Tuesday. I didn't soak it and cooked it for hours in the SC. It looks lovely now and I plan to pull the meat off the bone and do something with cheese sauce and some tinned broad beans (yuk) we got by accident, for supper tonight, with nice spud wedges. But please can someone tell me if I should have soaked it ? I asked the butcher if it was the same as a 'ham hock' and he said 'No' - but I think from wiser people on this thread that they are the same, aren't they ? But some people are saying they have to be soaked, and some not (see Queenie's lovely soup recipe). I suppose I ought to just try it to see if it's v salty - and the cooking liquid (I did it with an onion and a leek so I was planning to make soup, but probably not if it's hideously salty.) Goodness I do feel ignorant !

ethansmum

I've been wondering over the exact same thing! I got a ham shank from Morrisons too.
C'mon Squeaky where are you? - (you seem to know just about everything! )

Raksha

Ham is cured pig meat - pork is the same thing before it's cured.... I did the Cornish bean jar thing at the weekend - even the kids (11 year old is VERY picky!) ate it.....

morganlefay

We had the shank/hock yesterday with broccoli in a cheese sauce and some spud wedges - very nice indeed. The meat was definitely ham (all pink and ham-tasting,) but I didn't soak it and it wasn't at all salty, so if it had been cured it was a very unsalty cure. Then I tried a taste of the cooking liquid which was just very meaty and not at all salty either, so I really am very unclear as to what it is we are so enjoying (going to make 'potted ham' for his sarnies with rest of it - so much meat for £1.29). Where are you Squeaky and Queenie - I am sure you know the answer to exactly what this excellent lump of meat is !!

Juliep

Just bought a ham shank today and thought i would have a try at making my own soup.............problem is how to go about it. I have put in a pan of water just now to boil (was told to do that to get rid of the salt), then i was going to throw that water away and then put shank in slow cooker with fresh water overnight. I could soak broth mix in bowl of water overnight so it is ready to use in the morning. This is the point where i no longer know what to do:o

Please help!!

Nelski

Just put one on myself so I will tell you what Ive done:D

Put the ham into the SC with a small amount of stock or some water and a couple of stock cubes. Add a load of chopped onions, carrots celery or what ever you have then add a handful of split peas (I used yellow) and a handful of lentils then cook on low until the peas have "disappeared" and the ham is falling apart blend down and enjoy:j Lovely with a load of crusty bread:j