Easter Ham and lemony side dishes

In the days leading up to Easter, we arranged to meet some friends at Relish Cooking Studio for some fun, inspiration, and a really delicious lunch.   Donna-Marie and Maria devised a great menu, and did an excellent job of injecting interesting food facts into our lesson.  Fortunately, all of the recipes were a perfect fit for the project we planned for our family Easter gathering:  curing and smoking our own ham!  We were able to tailor everything for our family food requirements by replacing the farro with quinoa, and the puff pastry with gluten free pastry.  

Preparing the ham was very easy, but required some advance planning.  The only tricky part was sourcing one critical ingredient:  Prague Cure # 1, a pink salt that is not the same as Himalayan sea salt.   We were able to find it at our specialty food shop, Vincenzo’s.  Without it the ham would have been  a less appetizing grey colour.  We cured the pork in brine over 2 days, but probably 4 or 5 days would have been ideal, and even longer for a larger cut of meat. 

Home Cured and Smoked Ham

1 8-pound bone-in pork leg section

for the brine/cure:

6 litres water

1 ½ cups kosher salt

1 ½ cups sugar

¾ cup pickling spice

1 tablespoon cloves

½ cup Prague Cure # 1

for the paste:

2 heads garlic, peeled

3 sprigs rosemary

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

for a little sweetness:

¼ cup honey, warmed slightly

In a large pot, combine the water, kosher salt, sugar, pickling spice and cloves.  Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.  Let cool to lukewarm and stir in the Prague Cure # 1. 

Meanwhile, remove any thick skin from the outside of the meat.  Score the fat underneath with a sharp knife in a crosshatch pattern.  Place the meat in a large non-reactive vessel and pour the cooled liquid over top.  Using a meat injector, inject some of the brine deep inside the meat in several places.  Weigh the meat down so that it stays submerged in the liquid.  Refrigerate at 40°F for 2-4 days, stirring and turning once a day.

Remove the pork from the brine, and place it in a colander set over a large bowl.  Let stand overnight in the refrigerator.

First thing in the morning soak some apple wood chips in water for 30 minutes.  Light the Broil King Keg and adjust the vents for a constant temperature of 200 °F.  Drain the wood chips and scatter them over the embers.  Place the diffuser pan over the coals and fill with apple cider or a combination of cider and water. 

Meanwhile, combine all of the paste ingredients in a blender and whir to combine.  Pat the mixture all over the outside of the meat and set it on the prepared smoker.  Inject the warmed honey inside the meat in several places.  Smoke at 200°F, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 -150°F, about 10-12 hours.  Let stand 20 minutes before carving.  

Farro Salad with Sugar Snaps, Spring Peas and Watermelon Radishes

1 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups farro (spelt)

3 ½ cups water

Kosher salt, to taste

3 tablespoons lemon verbena vinegar

6 tablespoons lemon infused olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or a combination of cilantro and basil

½ pound sugar snap peas, trimmed, blanched, and halved

1 cup small peas, thawed if frozen, or blanched if fresh

2 watermelon radishes, chopped

freshly ground pepper, to taste

crumbled feta cheese for serving

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the farro and toast, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Season with salt, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the farro is tender, about 18 minutes.  Drain through a fine-mesh sieve, then spread the farro in a thin layer on a baking sheet to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar with the fresh herbs. 

In a large bowl, toss together the farro, sugar snaps, peas, radishes and vinaigrette.  Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with feta cheese to serve.

Asparagus Goat Cheese Tart with Basil

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (President’s Choice works best)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium shallots, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1“ pieces

2 teaspoons lemon zest

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup whole milk

4 large eggs

3 tablespoons basil, chopped

1 teaspoon parsley, chopped

3 ounces herb goat cheese

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Lightly butter a 10” tart pan with a removable bottom.

Gently roll pastry dough into a 14” circle.  Lift the dough into the pan, pressing it up the sides, and trimming any excess.  Transfer to the freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the oil.  Add the shallots and cook until soft, then at the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the asparagus and lemon zest and cook until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, and herbs. 

Scatter the vegetables over the bottom of the tart shell, and pour the custard filling over top.  Sprinkle with the goat cheese and place in the oven to bake until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the filling is set, about 25 to 30 minutes.  Transfer the tart from the oven to a wire rack and allow to cool slightly before removing the tart case.  

We had a nice Easter morning visit with Beatrix and Eleanor