Claudia Mcquillans Stuffed Easter Ham Recipes

STUFFED HAM, SOUTHERN MARYLAND STYLE

Steps:

• If corning the ham: Cut slits about 3 inches deep in a few places around the bone. Push salt into the incisions and, with a light hand, rub salt all over the surface of the ham. Reserve any remaining salt to rub into the ham as it corns, adding more if needed later in the process. Place the ham in a nonreactive pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and place it in refrigerator for a week. Unwrap and turn it every couple of days, sprinkling with more reserved salt and pouring off any juice that collects each time. Rewrap. The day before you are going to stuff the ham, rinse off the salt and soak the ham overnight in cold water in the refrigerator.
• Make the stuffing: The goal is to chop all the vegetables so the pieces are small and relatively uniform in size. Begin by chopping the cabbage. A food processor with a shredding blade is helpful. Place the cabbage in a large pan or bowl. Remove large stems from the kale and other greens, if you are using them, and chop. (Tip: Freeze cleaned, whole kale leaves overnight in plastic bags, then break up the frozen leaves while still in the bag and add to the stuffing mixture.) Chop the yellow onions and scallions, and add them to the cabbage and kale.
• Mix the vegetables well and add the spices. Mix again. (Your hands will work best for this, but wear gloves if your skin is sensitive to pepper.) Taste the stuffing and adjust, adding more cayenne or red-pepper flakes for a more intense spiciness. Keep in mind that the long boiling time will soften the heat.
• Stuff the ham: Remove the bone, or have the butcher remove it for you. The ham should be almost butterflied. Add the bone to a pot large enough to hold the ham, fill with enough water to cover it and begin to heat the water to a boil.
• While the water heats, set the ham on a sheet pan and cut slits about 3 inches long and 2 inches deep in a few places to make pockets, being careful not to slice through the meat completely. The number of slits will depend on the size of the ham. The goal is an even distribution of stuffing. Pack the slits tightly with stuffing, and add stuffing to the center of the ham where the bone was. Close the ham and secure it with kitchen string.
• Prepare a large square of cheesecloth at least 3 layers thick. Spoon a layer of stuffing over the cheesecloth and set the ham on it. Pack more stuffing on the top and sides of the ham. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth to the top and twist tightly to form a compact package. Tie the top tightly with string.
• Lower the ham into boiling water, reduce heat to a simmer and add any juice that has collected from the stuffing. Skim any foam that rises. Cook, covered, for about 15 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
• Turn off the heat and let the ham cool slightly in the water, about an hour. (Old-timers simply put the whole pot on the porch overnight if the weather was cool, or left it on the stove until completely cooled.) Drain the ham in a colander and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove the cheesecloth and string, and reserve any stuffing around the ham.
• To serve, slice the ham across the grain, so each slice contains stuffing and meat. Pile additional stuffing around the slices. The ham can be reheated, but more often it is served cold.

CLAUDIA MCQUILLAN'S STUFFED EASTER HAM RECIPE

Steps:

• With sharp knife, trim skin from top of ham. Score ham in 2-inch intervals, cutting 2 inches into ham.
• Wash and dry spinach, parsley and green onions. Remove stems from spinach and parsley. Cut green onion tops into 1-inch lengths. Combine spinach, parsley and green onion tops in food processor. Process with pulsing motion until finely chopped.
• Stuff mixture into scoring on ham, fitting in as deeply as possible. Place ham in roasting pan. Mix wine and honey and pour over ham. Pat any remaining stuffing over back of ham.
• Bake at 350 degrees until ham is heated through and deeply colored, 30 to 45 minutes, basting every 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on carving board. Allow to stand 10 minutes before carving. Serve hot or at room temperature.

EASTER HAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, marmalade and mustard; set aside. Score the surface of the ham, making diamond shapes 1/2 in. deep; insert a whole clove in the center of each diamond. , Place ham cut side down on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 140°, about 2 hours., Brush ham with glaze. Bake 45 minutes longer, brushing with glaze every 15 minutes. Serve remaining glaze with sliced ham.

RALEY'S MARKET STUFFED HAM

Steps:

• Trim excess fat from ham.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Wash cabbage, kale and onions with cold water. Chop or shred cabbage, kale, and onions and place in a large bowl. Add red and black pepper. Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
• Prepare ham for stuffing by making 1 or 2-inch slits all over the ham, about 1- to 2-inches deep. Using your gloved hand, press stuffing into slits until full. Fill large cavity where bone was located with stuffing also.
• When finished stuffing, tie ham with string. Wrap ham with cheesecloth and tie securely. Cover ham with aluminum foil and bake for 5 hours.
• When ham is finished, drain and let ham cool down overnight in the refrigerator before carving. Serve cold.

BAKED EASTER HAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wrap ham completely with parchment-lined foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Transfer ham to oven and bake 1 1/2 hours.
• Unwrap ham; discard parchment and foil. With a large, sharp knife score fat in a diamond pattern, making the lines about 3/4 inch apart. Transfer ham to a large roasting pan.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and Cognac. Brush ham evenly with 3/4 of the brown sugar mixture and return to oven; cook ham 1 hour. Brush ham with remaining brown sugar mixture and continue cooking 30 minutes more. Transfer to a serving platter until ready to carve; garnish with watercress and parsley.