Pomegranate Gammon with Za’atar Roasted Radishes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 135 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
Description
Pomegranate molasses is the secret ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking. That signature sticky sweetness makes for an incredibly delicious glaze for gammon.
Ingredients
Gammon
2.5 kg boneless gammon
1 onion, quartered
2 celery stalks, cut into chunks
2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 cinnamon sticks
10 peppercorns
3 cloves
1 star anise
1 peel of lemon rind
Glaze
½ C (125 ml) pomegranate molasses*
1 Tbsp (15 ml) Dijon mustard
2 tsp (10 ml) smoked paprika
2 tsp (10 ml) ground cumin
salt and pepper
Radishes
1 kg radishes, washed and halved
extra virgin olive oil
za’atar spice
salt and pepper
To Serve
100 g pomegranate arils
*available at specialist grocers and online at Sagra Foods
Instructions
Gammon
Place all the ingredients for the gammon into a large pot and fill it with water until the gammon is submerged. Bring the water to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and gently simmer the gammon for 2 hours. Top up with hot water as needed during the cooking process.
Glaze
Place a small pot over medium heat. Add all of the ingredients and mix well to combine. Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat and season to taste
Radishes
Preheat the oven to 200 ºC.
Place the radishes on a foil-lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with za’atar spice and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the radishes are well caramelised and soft all the way through.
Glazing the Gammon
After 2 hours, remove the gammon from the pot and place it onto a rack to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 200 ºC.
Cut the netting off the gammon then carefully remove the skin with a sharp knife. Run the knife under the skin as closely as you can and try to keep as much of the fat under the skin on the gammon as possible. Score the fat diagonally in lines about 1 cm apart.
Place the gammon on a roasting rack and use a pastry brush to paint it with a generous amount of the pomegranate glaze. Bake the gammon for 10 minutes, then give it another painting of glaze, return it to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes until the outside has caramelised. Remove from the oven and slice.
Gammon can be served warm with the roast radishes, garnished with pomegranate arils. It is also delicious sliced and served cold, making it the perfect roast to prepare the day before with minimal fuss on the day.