By Emma
I was
reminded of my all-time, favourite dish last Sunday when my Mum invited my
brother and I to our family home for Sunday dinner. The table was set, not dissimilarly to
Christmas Day – minus the Christmas crackers and all four of us plus two dinner
guests sat around the table. As always, Mum sat at the head of the table,
nearest the door to the kitchen - so she
can buzz in and out – to get an extra spoon for someone, or ice for someone’s
drink or to help people to seconds!
Handy,
because last Sunday, everyone went for seconds!
They always
do when she cooks her signature dish: boiled ham, with honey cinnamon peaches,
served with a cabbage and leek combo and mashed carrots and parsnips. That dish
is ‘home’ for me. She’s cooked it exactly the same way for as long as I can
remember and it never disappoints.
Some may
say it’s an Irish dish…I’m not so sure. Perhaps it’s a fraction Irish with a
‘Dorothy’ twist!
To feed 6 people:
Go to your
nice local butcher and tell him you want a five pound fillet of ham.
Bring it
home, singing all the way.
Steep the
fillet of ham overnight in cold water.
Bring it to
the boil the next day and pour it off the water (this gets rid of the extra
saltiness).
Stick
cloves in an orange, an apple and an onion. Pop them and a few bay leaves in a
large saucepan filled with two cans of cider and enough water to cover the
fillet.
Bring it to
the boil again with fresh water and let simmer for 1 hour 20 mins.
For the
final 20 mins, pop it in the oven to brown it.
For the peaches:
Buy two
tins of canned peaches. Warm gently in a pan with 4 tablespoons of honey, 2
teaspoons of cinnamon and a little water. Cook till syrupy and gooey.
For the cabbage:
Buy two
heads of cabbage and 6 leeks – chop up and sauté them in soy sauce, a chicken
stock cube and a knob of butter until soft.
For the mash:
Chop, boil and mash 8 carrots and 8 parsnips –
stir in some olive oil and season to taste.
Lash them all on the table and let everyone
reach and help themselves and …enjoy! J
