My next culinary creation comes from a delightful little purchase I made at our local Norwich Winter Farmer's Market that was held two Saturdays ago in Tracy Hall. My main reason for frequenting these monthly artisan markets - weekly in the the summertime when it can be held in positive degree weather - is to peruse the seasonal and sustainable offerings of our local farmers and producers. It allows me the opportunity to keep dreaming of a day when local farmer's markets will outlast and outshine the over-abundant retail outlets known as grocery stores that provide only that; groceries from mass production facilities that lack any regional or seasonal flavour or characteristics.
But enough about that for the moment. On my prolonged visit of the market this time around, I came across a vendor who had pork hocks - a ham joint product I have never actually seen sold in this country, and only have experience with because of my time in England. I was instantly seized by the opportunity to be able to have such a rare treat and proceeded with a purchase from the very farmer who once owned the little (or rather large) oinker. Although I hadn't much idea of what I would likely do with the hock at that point, I knew it was bound to make an excellent addition to our collection of local frozen meats my parents have stocked for the winter.
Sure enough this past weekend provided the perfect occasion to utilize my joint of meat, and after giving it a good 24-hour soak and defrost I was ready to get underway with my ham hock terrine for a lovely festive brunch gathering I was to attend Sunday with my second family and friends. Here are the ingredients and method I followed for making the terrine as requested by a Mrs. C.

Ham Hock Terrine with Pea Dressing
Ingredients:
FOR THE HAM
1 ham hock joint, soaked in water for 24 hours
Enough water to cover the joint in its pot
2 small shallots, peeled and halved
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 sprig of parsley
2 sprigs of thyme
FOR THE TERRINE
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
5 or so chopped cornichons (optional, and I happened to not use them this time)
2 leaves of gelatin (I think this translates to 2 teaspoons of powdered gelatin)
~1 - 1 1/2 cups broth (rewarmed to just simmering)
salt and pepper
dash of vinegar (if you are not using the cornichons)
FOR THE PEA DRESSING
2 oz frozen peas, defrosted
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley (fresh mint and/or chives would also be good options here)

Method:
1) Put the joint in a heavy-bottomed pot large enough for it to fit comfortably, and fill the pot with water so that the meat is completely submerged. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, cover, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Lower the temperature so that the water is just simmering and allow to cook for 2-3 hours until the meat starts to come away from the bone and is nice and tender - this will depend on the size of the joint. Remove the ham from the pot to a plate and allow to cool to room temperature. I recommend that you strain off the remaining liquid and transfer it to the refrigerator. It makes a wonderful broth for any of your favourite winter soups, and refrigerating it will allow the fat to set on the surface, so that you can remove it and proceed as you would like with your soup (I think I will be making a cauliflower and cheddar soup this evening).
2) While the meat is cooling, line a loaf pan (a little one is sufficient for just one joint) with two or three layers of cling film with enough overhang to be able to wrap over the surface. Once the meat has cooled begin separating the meat from the bone and excess fat, shredding it so that you have pieces not more than an inch or so in any direction. Put the trimmed ham pieces in a bowl with the parsley and cornichons if you are using them, and mix in your seasoning to taste - the dash of vinegar is a good addition here as it gives the end result that extra dimension of flavour. Put the meat mixture into the lined loaf pan. Meanwhile soak the gelatin leaves in enough water to cover them for about 5 minutes until they are soft, squeeze out the excess water, and add it to the just warm broth, stirring until it dissolves. Add the liquid broth to the ham in the loaf pan, and wrap the cling film tightly over all the edges. Wrap the whole tin with another piece of cling film so that the liquid cannot overflow, and put the pan in the refrigerator for a least 3 hours to set.
3) To make the pea dressing put all the ingredients into a blender (or use one of those stupendously handy hand blenders) and blend until all the ingredients are incorporated. You will have little bits of the pea skin and parsley, which you are welcome to strain off, but I tend to leave it as it is.
4) Remove the terrine from the refrigerator, and unwrap it carefully from the pan. You can serve it with the pea dressing, or however you prefer to eat any of your favourite ham entrees. A British favourite is with Piccadilly, but it also goes well with a nice salad garnish and some crusty bread.

A Long Overdue Post: Dinner E&M Style

I have two very dear friends, E&M, who have been married for close to a year and half now, and who have fallen easily in step with each other's dietary preferences, meaning that they both now opt for a lactose-free and vegetarian diet. While many cooks can often be bothered by having to deal with the dietary "restrictions" of their guests, I truly feel honoured when E&M will let me cook for them. Thus, when they accepted my invitation to dinner this past Wednesday evening, I very eagerly set to work at creating a menu especially for the occasion.

I had discussed the risotto-making process with them several times during our many food-related conversations, so I decided that the dish would be the featured main dish of the evening. My next decision would be flavour. I definitely wanted to put to good use the Acorn squash that I had roasted off the previous weekend. However I had already prepared a squash risotto for myself at the weekend, so I decided that for this occasion I would present the risotto inside the fleshy cavity of the gourd. This meant that I needed a flavour for the risotto that would nicely complement the sweetness of the squash without overpowering it. With a conscientious browse through of the pantry, I decided that the delicate saffron filaments would provide the perfect flavour background, while fresh tomatoes would help to give the risotto both its base and acidic contra-flavour - if such a thing exists.

Setting to work, I first prepared all my ingredients by boiling 4 cups of water to create a vegetable bouillon with those packaged cubes our family likes to stock up on in France. Next I peeled and seeded my 4 tomatoes, diced up my 1 onion and a couple of cloves of garlic, and measured out 2 cups of arborio rice - 1 tomato and a good cup and a half of rice would probably be sufficient for three people, but I always like to play/cook on the safe side. Next in the process I heated a few drizzles of olive oil in a sauce pan and added the onion and garlic to sweat for about 5 minutes. Next the rice went in with a good stir so that it became even coated with the oil as well. After letting that cook for a good 3 minutes I added about a quarter of a cup of dry white vermouth (white wine would work equally well here), and the saffron filaments, stirring all the while. Once the liquid was almost fully evaporated I added enough stock to just cover the rice - again the four cups is way more than enough for this quantity of rice, but I needed a little to ensure that my squash would not dry out in the oven as I reheated it.

The key to the risotto-making process is really to devote all your time and attention to stirring it as it cooks, and as the liquid evaporates. This allows you to really stop the cooking process when the rice reaches the point of exact al dente perfection. This was the point when I added my diced tomatoes and stirred one final time to incorporate them thoroughly into the savoury mixture. This is the point when many people will add any other flavour enhancers as well such as cream or any cheeses, but I can testify - and hopefully E&M can too - that this risotto goes just as well without. However we did have some grated Pecorino Romano on the table, as sheep's milk is apparently lactose free, to sprinkle on our finished dishes. YUMMY:)