Ham Hock & Lentils
- Minutes to Prepare:
- Minutes to Cook:
- Number of Servings: 6
Ingredients
Ham hock, lentils, kale, carrots, onion, celery
(You'll need an extra carrot, celery stalk, onion, bay leaf, and thyme to create the stock.)
1. Before starting the cooking process, first blanch the hocks to rinse away any impurities. To do this, just put the joints in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute, then carefully move the pan to the sink and drain off the hot water. Refresh the hams under cold running water for a minute or so, then tip out the water.
2. The cooking process can now begin. To the blanched hams in the pan, add the onion quarters, along with the quartered carrot and the celery stick, the thyme and bay leaf. Pour in enough fresh cold water to cover and bring to a simmer. The pan can now be covered with its lid and the hams cooked, keeping the liquor at a gentle simmer for 3 hours.
3. To check if hams are cooked, pull out the small bone close to the large one - it should be loose and come out easily. Rest hams in the stock for 15-20 minutes (30 minutes, ideally), so the meat softens and relaxes. Lift out the hams and set aside until cool enough to handle. Strain off 900ml/1� pint ham stock into a jug and set aside. Reserve leftover stock.
4. Now prepare the lentils. First blanch them by plunging them into a pan of boiling water, then drain into a sieve and refresh under the cold tap. This process not only rinses the lentils well, but it also speeds up the entire braising process.
5. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the diced onion, carrot, kale stalks and celery, cover the pan and cook without stirring for 5-6 minutes. Tip in the blanched lentils, then pour in 900ml/1� pint strained stock. Bring the lentils to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes - check occasionally and top up with more stock if needed - until tender. I prefer the braised lentils to have quite a loose final consistency without being over watery. After 20 minutes, add garlic cloves, salt, and kale leaves.
6. About 10 minutes before the lentils are ready, strip off the skin and fat from the hams with a knife, then remove the meat from the bones and cut it into rough pieces or shred it with your fingers. To serve, add the shredded ham to the lentils, and season with a twist of pepper. If you think you need a little more liquid, simply stir in an extra ladle or two of strained stock.
Number of Servings: 6
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user WESA_ANDERSON.
1. Before starting the cooking process, first blanch the hocks to rinse away any impurities. To do this, just put the joints in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute, then carefully move the pan to the sink and drain off the hot water. Refresh the hams under cold running water for a minute or so, then tip out the water.
2. The cooking process can now begin. To the blanched hams in the pan, add the onion quarters, along with the quartered carrot and the celery stick, the thyme and bay leaf. Pour in enough fresh cold water to cover and bring to a simmer. The pan can now be covered with its lid and the hams cooked, keeping the liquor at a gentle simmer for 3 hours.
3. To check if hams are cooked, pull out the small bone close to the large one - it should be loose and come out easily. Rest hams in the stock for 15-20 minutes (30 minutes, ideally), so the meat softens and relaxes. Lift out the hams and set aside until cool enough to handle. Strain off 900ml/1� pint ham stock into a jug and set aside. Reserve leftover stock.
4. Now prepare the lentils. First blanch them by plunging them into a pan of boiling water, then drain into a sieve and refresh under the cold tap. This process not only rinses the lentils well, but it also speeds up the entire braising process.
5. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the diced onion, carrot, kale stalks and celery, cover the pan and cook without stirring for 5-6 minutes. Tip in the blanched lentils, then pour in 900ml/1� pint strained stock. Bring the lentils to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes - check occasionally and top up with more stock if needed - until tender. I prefer the braised lentils to have quite a loose final consistency without being over watery. After 20 minutes, add garlic cloves, salt, and kale leaves.
6. About 10 minutes before the lentils are ready, strip off the skin and fat from the hams with a knife, then remove the meat from the bones and cut it into rough pieces or shred it with your fingers. To serve, add the shredded ham to the lentils, and season with a twist of pepper. If you think you need a little more liquid, simply stir in an extra ladle or two of strained stock.
Number of Servings: 6
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user WESA_ANDERSON.
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 246.9
- Total Fat: 12.5 g
- Cholesterol: 11.7 mg
- Sodium: 855.0 mg
- Total Carbs: 21.8 g
- Dietary Fiber: 6.7 g
- Protein: 14.5 g
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