If you ever find yourself in the Czech Republic and feel the need for some street food try Prague Ham!
It is brined, smoked, cooked and eventually grilled in a rotisserie.
Delicious and juicy!
Lived in Spain for years and tasted lots of different hams including the famous Cerrano jamon. It's the custom in many parts of Spain to cure the hams by hanging them at ceiling height in bars. Strangely soft succulent hams aren't preferred by the Spanish, they tend to like the stringy fatty type.
Think our favourite was, jamon del horno/oven roasted ham - bloody gorgeous. Only ever found it at the Saturday street market in Guadix, Andalucia. You had to get up early or wait for ever and catch the heat of summer. I was the only hombre shopping and the first to try this 'new' ham. The next week the women asked me if it was any good - absolutamente delicioso, after that if you did'nt get to charcuteria camioneta by 7.30 it was sold out.
What I can't understand is why the French pig farmers don't buy some Corsican pigs (same as the Extramadura pigs) as oak trees and forests are all over France much better than keeping pigs in nasty industrial farming units - good ham, fresh crusty bread, a small side salad laced with olive oil and a glass or two of red wine - what's not to like.
Think our favourite was, jamon del horno/oven roasted ham - bloody gorgeous. Only ever found it at the Saturday street market in Guadix, Andalucia. You had to get up early or wait for ever and catch the heat of summer. I was the only hombre shopping and the first to try this 'new' ham. The next week the women asked me if it was any good - absolutamente delicioso, after that if you did'nt get to charcuteria camioneta by 7.30 it was sold out.
What I can't understand is why the French pig farmers don't buy some Corsican pigs (same as the Extramadura pigs) as oak trees and forests are all over France much better than keeping pigs in nasty industrial farming units - good ham, fresh crusty bread, a small side salad laced with olive oil and a glass or two of red wine - what's not to like.
May be they do.
Recently I found out by pure chance that Italy produces some very, very good saffron.
But 100% of the harvest disappears into fancy restaurants for risotto. It doesn't even hit shops in Italy.
One of the comedians here in the UK spent some time as a swineherd in France driving pigs into the forests in the morning and back at night.
So it does happen but you probably have to find a local village butcher or a horrendously expensive one in Paris to get hold of the pork.
The problem is that we simply can't produce the amounts of food we need without industrial farming. Sad but there it is...
Recently I found out by pure chance that Italy produces some very, very good saffron.
But 100% of the harvest disappears into fancy restaurants for risotto. It doesn't even hit shops in Italy.
One of the comedians here in the UK spent some time as a swineherd in France driving pigs into the forests in the morning and back at night.
So it does happen but you probably have to find a local village butcher or a horrendously expensive one in Paris to get hold of the pork.
The problem is that we simply can't produce the amounts of food we need without industrial farming. Sad but there it is...
Heavily salted hams are a throwback to hundreds of years ago in the south where even in the winter it would rarely freeze. The Ham was meant to be boiled to help remove salt to make it palatable. I am not fond of them.
Here are my two cleavers. The one on the right was my grandfathers. He was a butcher in Frackville PA before the Great Depression.
Here are my two cleavers. The one on the right was my grandfathers. He was a butcher in Frackville PA before the Great Depression.
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Refrigerators first appeared around 1910 and the practical models in the 1920's at very high prices. Ice was stored from the winter before that. However in the late 1800's warm winters reduced the ice available which helped prompt the refrigerator development.
As you also needed electricity to run them that didn't really get going until the TVA. Some folks didn't get reliable power until the late 30's some even the 40's.
So until the 40's salted hams were a great idea for some folks.
That's also why canned milk was popular longer than one might think and why we have key lime pie.
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My uncle had a fish truck, I guess you would call him a fish monger. He had an ice house, a shed insulated with sawdust. Every winter he would cut ice on the lakes and haul the blocks of ice to his ice house. He would use that ice to store and transport his fish all year. That was in the 1960s and probably '70s.
Last week the local grocery store had fresh pork shoulder on sale, though cut into small roasts around 3-4lbs. I bought one, made an aromatic brine with apple juice, cider vinegar, salt (not too much), brown sugar, and spices. Brined the pork overnight, then applied a rub made with the usual suspects (onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika, brown sugar, etc) and put it on the gas grill with indirect heat and a smoker box full of soaked apple wood chips. Smoked the meat at low temperature for several hours (had to refill the smoker box) basting with the brine from time to time, then transferred it to the oven for a few more hours at about 275F.
Pulled pork! Sauced with the degreased drippings, SWMBO made mac'n'cheese. Best pulled pork I have had in a long time.
Pulled pork! Sauced with the degreased drippings, SWMBO made mac'n'cheese. Best pulled pork I have had in a long time.
Brought home a bag of sea buckthorn twigs from Germany (fond bushes by the ferry port in Rostock) and sprayed the kitchen with orange buckthorn juice when renoving the sour berries.
The whole lot (approx 1 litre) went into a big jar together with 1,5 litre vodka. Will stand for 4-5 months when sugar is to be added.
Some say that buckthorn liquer is the VERY BEST. We'll see.
The whole lot (approx 1 litre) went into a big jar together with 1,5 litre vodka. Will stand for 4-5 months when sugar is to be added.
Some say that buckthorn liquer is the VERY BEST. We'll see.
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Currently visiting my sister who lives in Tuscany...
The best stuff so far:
- fegatelli di maiale (pork liver in fat netting): nothing's bad in pork.
- pork fillet slowly cooked, wrapped in Colonnata lard: when things just melt in mouth.
- pappardelle alla lepre (pasta with hare stew): when ragu meets game.
The best stuff so far:
- fegatelli di maiale (pork liver in fat netting): nothing's bad in pork.
- pork fillet slowly cooked, wrapped in Colonnata lard: when things just melt in mouth.
- pappardelle alla lepre (pasta with hare stew): when ragu meets game.