Time – Approx 1 hour 30 min
Serves – 8
Ingredients
5–6 kg (11–13 oz) ham leg, skin removed and trimmed
Glaze: This glaze can be made up to two days ahead. How’s that for getting organised?
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small brown onion, roughly chopped
2 star anise
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 yellow peaches, stoned and finely diced
125ml dark rum
125ml white-wine vinegar
230g dark brown sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
To make the glaze, heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium–high heat. Add the onion, star anise and cardamom and sauté for 4 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the peaches and rum and continue to sauté for 5 minutes.
Stir in the vinegar and cook for 4 minutes. Add the sugar and cook for a further 4 minutes, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove the star anise with a fork and carefully pour the mixture into a blender, then purée until smooth.
Using a small, sharp knife, score the ham fat in a large diamond pattern. Cover the hock with aluminium foil.
Place the ham on a lightly greased wire rack in a roasting tin lined with non-stick baking paper.
Brush the glaze all over the ham, then cook for 40–50 minutes, basting with the glaze every 10 minutes, or until golden, caramelised and cooked through.
This is an edited extract from Chyka Celebrate by Chyka Keebaugh published by Hardie Grant Books $40 and is available where all good books are sold.
