Spiced up Ham-Recipes with Rhubarb

Traditional holiday ham-recipes sweetened with rhubarb-sauce are quite tasty and good on any day of the week. Ham is always good with a glaze of some kind.

Be unique and add some rhubarb to your ham-recipes on any holiday or anytime when you cook it.

As with most special occasions, there are traditional favorites served in most homes. The Easter Holiday is just one of them I especially associate "ham" with, though we cook it here very frequently.

Some of us will still tend to cook a turkey on a special holiday. We love turkey and ham here. Cooking both at the same time certainly doesn't go to waste at my house on any holiday or on any day of the week.


Ham is so popular at Easter time.

I remember when Easter only meant the Easter Bunny and chocolate. That sure was a long time ago.

Bring something a little different to your daily cooking, Easter-Holiday or any holiday cooking.

But Easter has such meaning for so many, not only in the religious sense. It means the beginning of Spring, whichin turn signifies gardening, new growth, fresh produce.

Easter arrives at the changing of the seasons, and for some people, it also especially means fresh young rhubarb. I guess this is why the two seem to go together so well.

A rhubarb-glaze can add a wonderfully sweet and sour taste to your ham any day of the week.

Chutney can make a world of differenceas well with a little change of texture.

Try adding rhubarb to your ham-recipes this year to enhance the taste.


BAKED-HAM WITH RHUBARB-GLAZE

3 or 4 lb. cooked smoked ham (bone in or out)
1/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups diced fresh rhubarb
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1 tsp. dry mustardb> 1 tsp. cinnamon

Place the ham in a baking pan, and add the water.

Place in a 300F oven, covered with foil.

In a saucepan, combine the rest of the ingredients, and bring to a low boil. Turn the heat down, and let mixture simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Stir frequently so as not to burn or stick.

Remove from heat and evenly baste the ham. Continue cooking for 30 - 40 minutes, and remove the foil towards the end. Baste with more rhubarb-glaze as needed.

GLAZED HAM WITH CHUTNEY

1 cooked ham
cloves, pineapple or cherries

Glaze

1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tblsp. Dijon mustard or regular
1/2 tsp. garlic
pinch salt and pepper

Combine all glaze ingredients and simmer over low heat until thickened. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Place the ham in a baking dish on a rack and make criss-cross marks over the top.

Arrange the garnishes evenly over the ham.

Brush on some glaze, and bake at 350F.

Glaze throughout the baking process.


RUHBARB CHUTNEY

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
pinch cardamom
zest of one orange

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a low boil stirring frequently. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved.

Add in: 4 cups diced rhubarb, 1 chopped onion or 3 green onions, and 1/2 cup currants.

Let simmer about 5 or 6 minutes, and remove from heat. Let cool, cover and refrigerate.

Chutney is best served at room temperature.


More Rhubarb Chutney for your Ham-Recipes

HAM STEAKS AND CHERRY RHUBARB

1 tsp. mustard seed toasted

1 cup diced fresh rhubarb

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup cherry preserves

1/4 cup dried cherries

2 tblsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tblsp. white sugar

pinch of salt and pepper

Mustard seeds should be toasted, which you can do in a pan on the stove on medium heat. This will only take a few minutes.

To the same pan, add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the rhubarb is soft. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir frequently. Remove from heat after 4 or 5 minutes.

Broil a large hamsteak until the edges are golden brown.

Remove from heat and cut into chunks. Serve covered with cherry rhubarb mixture over top.


BAKED-HAM WITH HONEY RHUBARB SAUCE

4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 cups honey
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine and let simmer in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir frequently, until rhubarb begins to break down.

Brush over cooked ham,cover and slow bake at 300F. Towards the end of the cooking time, depending on the size of your ham, uncover and bake for 30 minutes. Drizzle ham with sauce frequently.


HAM-RECIPES - BAKED-HAM AND RHUBARB BALSAMIC

1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp. butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 1/2 cups diced rhubarb

On low heat, saute onion in the butter, until tender. Slowly add the sugar and vinegar and simmer until sugar is well dissolved. Add in the rhubarb, toss well, and cover. Let simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat.

Pour rhubarb mixture over 4 - 6 pound cooked ham, and slow bake until heated thoroughly, and rhubarb is tender.

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