Country ham

Baked country ham

Country ham or Virginia ham is a variety of cured ham from the United States, associated with the Southern United States. It is typically very salty in taste.

Production

Country hams are salt-cured (and occasionally nitrate-cured) for a period of one to three months. It may be hardwood (usually hickory and red oak) smoked, then aged for several months to 2-3 years, depending on the fat content of the meat. Smoking is not legally mandated for making country ham. Some types of country ham (such as the "salt-and-pepper ham" of North Carolina) are not smoked. The smoking process turns the meat a much redder color than other hams. They are usually sold in stores unrefrigerated as whole bone-in hams packaged in rough cotton bags, with identifying markings printed on the bags. Country ham is also sold in ready-to-cook pre-soaked, pre-sliced packages, usually vacuum-packed plastic sheets.

Preparation

Whole country hams must be scrubbed and soaked for many hours prior to consumption in order to remove the salt cure and mold, otherwise they will be much too salty to eat. Even when soaked properly, they are still quite salty. There are several methods of cooking a country ham. They include slicing and pan-frying, baking whole, and simmering for several hours (in several changes of water), followed by baking whole.

Country ham is often served in restaurants as an entree as a whole slice, often with the femur cross-section left in. It is also commonly served sliced and then cut into pieces to be used in sandwiches made of buttermilk (or similar) biscuits, sometimes with butter or red-eye gravy. The bone is not left in for this preparation.

Red-eye gravy is closely associated with country ham, and is made by adding water or coffee to country ham pan drippings and cooking it down for a short time.

Country ham can be compared to prosciutto, but prosciutto is not smoked, and is generally more moist than a country ham. It is also usually sliced much thinner instead of the thicker traditional country ham "steaks". Even country ham sliced to be used in a biscuit sandwich is cut thicker than prosciutto traditionally is.

Some cookbooks on Chinese cooking produced in the West suggest that country ham can substitute for Chinese ham products such as Jinhua ham, being similar in flavor.

See also

• Smithfield ham
• Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams
• Prosciutto, a dry-cured ham originating from central and northern Italy.

References

Prosciutto

Prosciutto di Parma

Prosciutto (English pronunciation: /prəˈʃuːtoʊ/,) is the Italian word for ham. In English, the term prosciutto is almost always used for a dry-cured ham that is usually sliced thinly and served uncooked; this style is called prosciutto crudo in Italian and is distinguished from cooked ham, prosciutto cotto.

Commonly associated with Tuscany and Emilia, the most renowned and expensive legs of prosciutto come from central and northern Italy, such as those of Parma, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and San Daniele.

Etymology

The word prosciutto derives from the Latin perexsuctum, which gave way to the modern Italian word prosciugare, meaning "to thoroughly dry".

Manufacture

Sea salt being added

The process of making prosciutto can take anywhere from nine months to two years, depending on the size of the ham.

Writer on Italian food Bill Buford describes talking to an old Italian butcher who says:

“When I was young, there was one kind of prosciutto. It was made in the winter, by hand, and aged for two years. It was sweet when you smelled it. A profound perfume. Unmistakable. To age a prosciutto is a subtle business. If it’s too warm, the aging process never begins. The meat spoils. If it’s too dry, the meat is ruined. It needs to be damp but cool. The summer is too hot. In the winter—that's when you make salumi. Your prosciutto. Your soppressata. Your sausages.”

Today, the ham is first cleaned, salted, and left for about two months. During this time the ham is pressed, gradually and carefully to avoid breaking the bone, to drain all blood left in the meat. Next it is washed several times to remove the salt and hung in a dark, well-ventilated environment. The surrounding air is important to the final quality of the ham; the best results are obtained in a cold climate. The ham is then left until dry. The amount of time this takes varies, depending on the local climate and size of the ham. When the ham is completely dry it is hung to air, either at room temperature or in a controlled environment, for up to eighteen months.

Various regions have their own PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), whose specifications do not in general require ham from free range pigs.

Prosciutto is sometimes cured with nitrites (either sodium or potassium), which are generally used in other hams to produce the desired rosy color and unique flavour. Only sea salt is used in many PDO hams, but not all; some consortia are allowed to use nitrite. Prosciutto’s characteristic pigmentation is produced by a direct chemical reaction of nitric oxide with myoglobin to form nitrosomyoglobin, followed by concentration of the pigments due to drying. Bacteria convert the added nitrite or nitrate to nitric oxide.

Use

Sliced prosciutto crudo in Italian cuisine is often served as an antipasto, wrapped around grissini or, especially in summer, cantaloupe or honeydew. It can also be wrapped in fresh mozzarella. It is eaten as accompaniment to cooked spring vegetables, such as asparagus or peas. It may be included in a simple pasta sauce made with cream, or a Tuscan dish of tagliatelle and vegetables. It is used in stuffings for other meats, such as veal, as a wrap around veal or steak, in a filled bread, or as a pizza topping.

Saltimbocca is a famous Italian veal dish, where escalopes of veal are topped with a sage leaf before being wrapped in prosciutto and then pan-fried.

Prosciutto is often served in sandwiches and panini, sometimes in a variation on the Caprese Salad, with basil, tomato and fresh mozzarella. A basic sandwich served in some European cafes and bars consists of prosciutto in a croissant.

Culatello

Culatello is a refined variety of prosciutto, made from heavier pigs, cut to a fraction of the normal prosciutto and aged, and may be cured with wine, with Culatello di Zibello having PDO status. It is commonly served as a starter along with slices of sweet melon or fresh figs.

It is often served as a dish on New Year's Eve.

European Union Protected Designations of Origin

Prosciutto di San Daniele at the Central Market in Florence, Italy

Under the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union (EU), certain well-established meat products including some local prosciutto, are covered by a Protected Designation of Origin and other, less stringent designations of geographical origin for traditional specialties.

A complete list of agricultural products with an EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), or Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG), listed alphabetically by nation, is at the EU Agriculture site.

There are two famous types of Italian prosciutto crudo exported abroad: prosciutto di Parma, from Parma, and prosciutto di San Daniele, from the San Daniele del Friuli area, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. The prosciutto di Parma has a slightly nutty flavor from the Parmigiano Reggiano whey that is sometimes added to the pigs' diet. The prosciutto di San Daniele, on the other hand, is darker in color and sweeter in flavour.

The other EU protected designations for prosciutto, each slightly different in color, flavour and texture, are:

• Prosciutto di Parma, Italy, PDO Status
• Prosciutto di San Daniele, Italy, PDO Status
• Prosciutto di Modena, Italy, PDO Status
• Prosciutto Toscano, Italy, PDO Status
• Prosciutto Veneto Berico-Euganeo, Italy, PDO Status
• Prosciutto di Carpegna, near Montefeltro, Italy, PDO Status
• Prosciutto di Norcia, Italy, PGI Status
• Speck dell'Alto Adige, Italy, PGI Status

See also

• Dry-cured ham
• Coppa or capicola, made in Italy from dry-cured pork shoulder.
• Bresaola, made in northern Italy from air-dried beef.
• Salo, salted Ukrainian pork.
• Country ham, a traditional method of curing pork originating from the Southern U.S.; also widely known as "Virginia ham".
• Jamón ibérico, a dry cured ham made in Spain

Notes and references

Further reading

• McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking (revised). New York, NY: Scribner, 2004. ISBN 0-684-80001-2

External links

• NYTimes: A Prince of Pork: In Seattle, Recreating the Perfect Ham The craft of Culatelli

Are you often rushed in the evenings? Finding it hard to get dinner on the table and still have time for the important things in life? A few easy quick recipes, combined with a little planning will make cooking dinner a pleasure again.

Look for recipes that are simple --with minimum preparation, then let your oven or slow cooker do the work. This recipe features an easy preparation, then cooks quickly in only 20 minutes in the oven while you fix a salad and warm some dinner rolls. Baked Ham Steak with Pineapple is an old favorite that can easily and quickly solve tonight's dinner crisis.

You will find these pre-sliced ham steaks vacuum packed in the meat department of your grocery. Sizes range from 1 to 2 pounds. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 pound, but choose a steak that will serve your family. If it is much smaller, then cook for a little less time. This serves 4 generously.

Baked Ham Steak with Pineapple

1 1/2 pound ham steak

1 can pineapple rings

brown sugar

cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Trim off or slice through the fat on the edge of the ham in several places to prevent curling in the pan.

3. Place the ham steak in a shallow ovenproof pan and place the pineapple slices on top. Pour the pineapple juice over all.

4. Place the ham steak in the oven and bake for 20 minutes (uncovered).

5. After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven up to broil.

6. Baste the ham with the pan juices. Sprinkle a little brown sugar over the pineapple slices and dust with cinnamon.

7. Return to oven and broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until the pineapple is lightly browned. Serve each ham steak with a pineapple slice.

Serve with a tossed salad and dinner rolls for an easy quick dinner recipe solution. I hope that this menu will find its way onto your table soon.

Diane Watkins is a traditional southern style cook. She enjoys cooking, teaching, and writing about good food and family. Do you need more quick and easy dinner recipes complete with menu suggestions and shopping lists? Visit http://easysoutherncooking.com/easy-dinner-recipe.html for recipes, cooking tips, and more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Watkins
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Spring roll

Vietnamese spring roll

Spring rolls are an appetizer, eaten either fresh or fried depending on the country of origin. Spring rolls can be found in several Asian countries, most notably China, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia.

Regional

East and Northern China

In Chinese cuisine, egg rolls differ from the spring roll. There are sweet spring rolls with red bean paste inside from areas in Eastern China, such as Zhejiang and Northern China. Spring rolls are usually eaten during the Spring Festival in China, hence the name.

Taiwan

In Taiwan, spring rolls also come in a number of varieties. They can generally be divided into fried and non-fried varieties.

Fried vs. Non-fried

Fried spring rolls are generally smaller and crisper. They can be sweet or savory; the latter are typically prepared with meat or vegetables. This version is fully wrapped before being pan fried or deep fried.

Non-fried spring rolls are typically bigger and more savory. In contrast, non-fried spring rolls typically fill the wrapping with pre-cooked ingredients. The most commonly eaten style of non-fried Taiwanese spring rolls is called runbing in Mandarin (or po̍h-piáⁿ (薄餅) in Taiwanese, see popiah). Traditionally, non-fried spring rolls are a festive food eaten during the Cold Food Day festival and the Tomb Sweeping Day festival in spring to remember and pay respect to ancestors. The Hakka population sometimes also eat spring rolls on the 3rd of March in the lunar calendar every year. The wrappings can be a flour-based mix or batter.

Northern vs. Southern Taiwan

In northern Taiwan, the ingredients are generally flavored with herbs, stir-fried and sometimes topped with a finely ground peanut powder before being wrapped. The northern-Taiwanese style spring roll is usually lightly topped with or accompanied by a soy sauce.

In southern Taiwan, the ingredients are generally boiled or blanched in plain water. Sometimes caster or superfine sugar is added along with the peanut powder before all the ingredients are wrapped.

Hong Kong

Spring roll is usually available as a dim sum dish.

Vietnam

In some restaurants, gỏi cuốn, a Vietnamese salad roll, is translated as spring roll, while some others prefer the term "summer roll." Ingredients include slivers of boiled pork, fresh herbs, lettuce, sometimes fresh garlic chives, rice vermicelli, all wrapped in moistened rice paper, served cold with dipping sauce nước chấm or hoisin sauce. The salad roll is easily distinguished from a minced pork roll by the fact that it is not fried, the ingredients used are different. Spring roll refer to the freshness of the spring season with all the fresh ingredients, therefore frying takes away that feeling.

The fried version with minced pork is called Chả giò (South Vietnam), Nem, or Nem rán (North Vietnam); it has been mistakenly referred to as an egg roll or spring roll on some restaurant menus. It is different from the Chinese egg roll in that it is typically smaller and contains (in addition to pork or another meat) a combination of bean sprouts, vermicelli noodles, and sometimes mushrooms and carrots. It would be more correctly referred to as a "Vietnamese Egg Roll".

To create a dipping sauce renowned in central Vietnam, add fish sauce, lime, garlic, sugar, small red and green peppers and water. Mince the garlic and peppers. Add the sugar into a bowl of hot water to help dissolve it quickly. Add fish sauce, lime, & the minced garlic and peppers into the sugar water.

Australia

In Australia, a diverse range of authentic Asian cuisine is available due both to immigration, multiculturalism, and the abundant fresh local produce. Both Dim Sims and chiko rolls were inspired by spring rolls.

Australians also have their own version of spring roll, made by Marathon that can be found in just about any takeaway "chip shop" in Australia, and rather than using pastry with a rolling technique they have a more doughy texture.

Philippines and Indonesia

Lumpia is the name for spring rolls in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Europe

In the Netherlands and Belgium, spring rolls are known as Loempia, ln Sweden, vårrullar, in Poland, Sajgonki. They are thought to have been introduced by immigrants from Indonesia. Loempias are filled with bean sprouts, chopped omelette, and sliced ham.

Costa Rica

In Costa Rica spring rolls are called in Spanish "Tacos Chinos" (Chinese Tacos), offered in almost all the Chinese restaurants as an entree or appetizer.

Chile

In Chile spring rolls are called "Arrollado Primavera", and supermarkets and Chinese restaurants sell them.

Mexico

In Mexico spring rolls are called "Rollos Primavera", and are sold in any Chinese restaurant and fast food establishment.

See also

References

External links

• BBC Food recipe
• How to Wrap Spring Rolls
• Spring roll rice paper for making frying spring roll and fresh spring roll