PENSIONERS' DELIGHT: CHICKEN TRAYBAKE WITH ORANGE, HOISIN & VEG

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Terrifically tasty easy one-tray supper: under a fiver for 2 meals ...

first published 2019

Mix, cover, pop in the oven, bake & serve: Simples! Plenty of leftovers

This recipe was originally planned as a treat for parents on a frugal date night, at home, when the kids have gone to bed and they can relax with a bit of booze.  

But it also works well as a Pensioner's Delight.  Not only is it wallet-friendly, it's also quick & easy to prepare and can be made in advance.  It's low in fat, high in fibre & protein and makes enough for two meals for 2.

Chunks of healthy veg complement the meaty chicken pieces, bathed but not buried in enticing lower-fat sauce.  

Thighs would be best but you could also use legs or, for an even more frugal meal,  drumsticks*.  

The alcohol is optional; if you prefer, replace it with grape juice or even water or stock.

 

The all-in-one dish, alongside a pretty plate of simple salad ingredients like cheap but sensational Mediterranean Tomatoes and/or a Single Vegetable Salads like Radish or Cucumber. i

Cost: £4.00'ish (6/22)

Serves: 4  

Ingreds:

   4 good-sized chicken thighs, skin removed (freeze uncooked thighs for another time)

   500gm/17oz cleaned unpeeled potatoes in med chunks OR small/new potatoes 

   a scant cup medium sized cauliflower florets

   3-4 med carrots, peeled, in generous 1/2 inch/3.8cm slices on the slant

   2-3 med purple (or yellow) onions, quartered
  

   4-6 spring onions, finely chopped

   

Braising sauce   

    3 tbsp hoisin sauce**

    1.5 tbsp maple syrup or honey
    1.5-3 tbsp sherry/brandy/white grape juice
    1.5 tsp sesame oil
    zest of an orange, coarsely grated
    juice of half an orange
    2 tsp grated ginger
    1 tsp grated garlic
    1/4 tsp 5-spice powder (opt)

garnish: orange slices    

Method:

ONE-PAN CHICKEN WITH ORANGE & HOISIN, no-alcohol option, double duty

Easy terrifically tasty one-tray supper for family or friends...

 Chicken, Orange & Hoisin Adult traybake, option for kids 

'Sophisticated, lightly beautifully exotic; really tasty' Retired writer

photo 28/2/18 

This recipe originally started out as a treat for parents on a frugal date night, at home, when the kids have gone to bed and they can relax with a bit of booze.  Or as a budget friendly main for an adult dinner party.  

But the distinctive mouth-watering supper easily transforms into family dinner by replacing the alcohol with grape juice or even water or stock.

Chunks of healthy veg complement the meaty chicken pieces, bathed but not buried in enticing lower-fat sauce.  

Thighs would be best for this dish but drums can replace be added.  

The all-in-one dish, alongside a pretty plate of simple salad ingredients, is a delight for cook as well as guests.  It will go a lot further served on a bed of noodles or rice with extra steamed vegetables. 

Cost: £4-5

Serves: 4-6 (any leftover meat can be frozen for packed lunches)

Ingreds:

   750gm/26oz (6-8 pieces) chicken thighs or thighs & drums, skin removed

   500gm/17oz cleaned unpeeled potatoes in med chunks OR small/new potatoes 

   a scant cup medium sized cauliflower florets

   3-4 med carrots, peeled, in generous 1/2 inch/3.8cm slices on the slant

   2-3 med purple onions, quartered
  

   4-6 spring onions, finely chopped

   

Braising sauce   

    3 tbsp hoisin sauce*

    1.5 tbsp maple syrup or honey
    1.5-3 tbsp sherry/brandy/white grape juice
    1.5 tsp sesame oil
    zest of an orange, coarsely grated
    juice of half an orange
    2 tsp grated ginger
    1 tsp grated garlic
    1/4 tsp 5-spice powder (opt)

garnish: orange slices    

Method:

HOLIDAY CANAPES: MINI SPICED BEEF KOFTAS,low fat/carb & preservatives

67's spicy Greek style koftas in miniature, make perfect canapés 

Beef Mini-Koftas
'Everyone loved these! And they looked really good.' Tasters

A platter of spicy little barrels of beef was included in 67's first formal catering event, a lunch for activists at the local elections. They went down a storm.  

The mini-kofta are full of intense flavours - spicy, herby and meaty - and, accompanied with an exotic tahini sauce, brought exclamations of delight.  

It's a perfect dish to make ahead; the flavour deepens as it sits.  Most of it can be prepared up to two days before: the meat can be mixed and moulded and the sauce made; both can be refrigerated in a couple of layers of cling film until needed.  The vegetable crudités, which add colour as well as crispness, can be prepared the night before.

The mini koftas in the photo are made with low-fat beef mince.  Lamb is traditional used but lower-fat minced turkey thigh also works well.   

Cost: £5.50+ for beef; the frugal should go for turkey 
Makes: 24+ mini-koftas 

Ingred:
   500 gm minced beef
   1 med onion or half a Spanish onion, grated or processed into small shards
    1.5 tsp sumac or 67 Spice mix
    1.5 tsp cumin
    1 tsp cinnamon
    1 tsp dried coriander
    zest of one lemon
    2-3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped medium fine, or 1 tsp dried
    2-3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped medium fine, or 1 tsp dried
    1 egg (opt)
    pepper & salt

Method:

1. Spread out mince on a sheet of greaseproof paper
2. Cover with onion and dried herbs only; mix well with two forks or with hands, ensuring the herbs are blended into the meat.  Work lightly; the koftas should be moist and yielding, not hard as rocks
3. Add lemon zest & fresh herbs; stir well, distributing everything evenly; mix in egg if using.  
4. Break off a tablespoon; fry to check for seasoning; add pepper & salt as needed 
5. Use a small 1 1/2 inch/4 cm ice cream scoop to divide the mix into equal pottions.  Form each into a barrel shape; place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, leaving a little space in between. 
6. Cover loosely in 2 layers of clingfilm,  ensuring the pan is air tight;  refrigerate overnight
7. When ready to cook, allow mini-koftas to come to room temperature.
8. Preheat oven to 180c/350f
9. Bake 15 mins, or until centres are no longer pink 
10. Remove to a cooling rack lined with paper towels; once no longer hot, scrape or rub off any juices that have seeped from the mini-kofta
11. Spear kofta with cocktail sticks
12. Arrange on a platter around tahini dressing and Chinese crudités   

Tahini Dressing:

   200gm/7oz thick o-fat yoghurt

   4 generous tbsp mayonnaise
   2 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
   1 med clove garlic, finely grated
   2 tbsp chopped fresh mint OR 2 tsp dried  
   pepper & salt
   2 tbsp good tahini
   1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (opt)
   
Mix well

Comments from political activists & council candidates:
    'Loved these!'
    'Beautifully spiced though I could have used more heat.'
    'Looks so pretty.' 
    'These are really, really good.'

   
Tip:

• make these in larger sizes for a portable lunch
• finely diced fresh chillis or chilli flakes can be served in a separate dish                           

 More hot weather dishes on Nav Bar: Recipes I   

Please leave a comment

   

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.   

TRIPLE DUTY CORN SLAW WITH PLUMS, for vegans & carnivores

Outrageously satisfying slaw with a fashionable, exotic MidEast twist...

Sweetcorn & Plum Slaw, here with poached chicken
'A perfect salad, light in texture but very satisfying' - Taster

Lovely dark plums are back in supermarkets, still at just over a pound a punnet (9/23) in some places.  Use them for cakes and crumbles or to add wonderful accents to salads and even meats.

This gorgeous slaw combines sweetcorn and plums and is delicious in every way, with wonderful textures and spring-like colours.  It was adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi, the London chef famous for vegetable-heavy Middle Eastern dishes.

67's version is made from everyday ingredients so shouldn't break the bank.  It's not one of your throw-it-all-together-and-see-how-things-play-out salads.  Though the method is simple, there are one or two steps not normally associated with slaw, and a little planning is required.  

However, the steps add immeasureably to the pleasure of eating the dish.  And, the work repays - the slaw on the second day was as good as on the first, and would probably been as good on the third day if the full, instead of half, recipe had been made.  

You won't go wrong doubling the recipe; it will be wonderful in a packed lunch.

For something more substantial, the slaw was teamed with succulent poached chicken -- and the two complemented each other beautifully.

Vegans can add Roasted Spiced Chick Peas and some good wholemeal bread to ensure the full range of essential amino acids. 

Vegetarians can add soft goats cheese to the chick peas.    

The recipe's mint and parsley are best fresh if budget allows; dried will provide a subtler herbal kick.  



Cost: £3.00'ish (9/23)
Feeds: 6-8, more if serving as a side

Ingred:
     100ml white wine vinegar or 50-50 grape juice and malt vinegar
     200 ml water
     1 tsp salt

     175 gm/5 oz carrots, finely sliced into matchsticks or grated
     200 gm/7 oz  cabbage, shredded (not too finely)
     1 med red onion thinly sliced (opt) (67 didn't bother)
     240-500 gm/8.5-17.6 oz fresh corn niblets sliced from cobs OR drained sweetcorn (67 uses M&S)  
     1/2 yellow pepper, in dice the size of the corn (opt)
     olive oil
     1-2 med-large plums, in small dice

Dressing
  50 gm/1.75 oz yoghurt-mayo
   2 tsp Dijon mustard
   1.5 tsp sunflower (or vegetable) oil
   1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or bottled for the frugal)
   1 garlic clove, grated
   2-3 tbsp fresh (OR 2-3 tsp dried) mint, med chopped
   2-3 tsp fresh (or 1 tsp dried) parsley, med chopped
   1/2-1 tsp dried coriander

Method:

GROWN-UP GINGERBREAD COOKIES, lower fat & carb, easy, make-ahead

Adult-friendly gingerbread cookies with more than a hint of sophistication...

Grown-up Gingerbread Cookies
'The ginger flavour goes to every corner of my mouth.''The proportion of sweet to spicy is just right.' Tasters

These lovely Christmassy biscuits*  are a delight for adults looking for something more cosmopolitan than the usual sweet gingerbread.

They are in the mould of 67's intensely spicy (in a good way) American Ginger Cookies, posted in 2016 and perennially popular with guys - sorry to be gender-ist! - who normally aren't keen on biscuits.

These cookies are more Swedish in style, and are rolled out to a dough rather than formed in balls.  But they are just as complex in flavour, sensationally delicious and appealing.  And they are ever so easy to put together. 

The men in your household will adore you when presented with a plate of these.

The amount of sugar in the biscuit dough was reduced to take into account the icing; to get the best of the flavour and texture, they really need a sweet top.  If you prefer lower sugar, replace the icing with (more expensive) melted bakers' white chocolate.

67 reduced cholesterol by replacing some butter with sunflower oil.   As an experiment, half the cookies were rolled to about 1/4inch/1/2cm (the thickness of a £1 coin) while the other half were rolled to abut 3/10in/3/4cm thickness. See comments below for the result.

Cost:  £2.50
Makes: 3-4 dozen

Ingreds:

120gm/2.1oz unsalted butter
3 x 15ml tablespoons sunflower oil
60gm/6.3oz soft brown sugar  
76ml/2 1/2 fluid oz treacle/molasses

65gm/2.3oz finely diced firm pear
handful chopped fresh, or dried & reconstituted, cranberries

min 250-max 275gm/min 8.8-max 9.7oz wholemeal spelt flour
100gm/3.5oz plain spelt flour  
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp fresh peeled ginger, grated or 1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cardomom 
1/4 tsp cloves 
1/4 tsp 5-spice powder or allspice 
pinch of salt

Icing 
  2/3 cup sifted icing sugar
  1 tbsp milk or water

  Garnish: 5-6 pieces candied ginger finely diced 

Method

1. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper or silicone mat
2. If pears are ripe & wet, spread them out on a paper towel to reduce dampness 
3. Melt butter with treacle and sugar; stir until blended; take off heat
4. Stir in pears & cranberries
5. Add minimum amount of flour, spices & salt; if more flour is needed, add some of the extra until the mix comes together to form a soft dough
6. Wrap in cling film; refrigerate for a couple of hours or freeze.
7. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 180c/160fan/350f/gas 4
8. Roll out half the dough between 2 sheets greaseproof paper to 1/4inch/1/2cm - the thickness of a pound coin
9. Roll the other half to 3/10in/3/4cm thick
10. Cut out shapes; use a fish slice to transport from the cutting board to the cookie sheet
11. Bake 10-12 mins; check at the half-way point -- if one side of the pan is browning faster than the other, turn the pan
12. Re-roll & cut leftover dough 

Icing:

1. Mix icing sugar & liquid until it forms a thick-ish but pourable icing.
2. Pour into a sealable sandwich bag and push the icing toward one of the corners.
3. Cut a tiny bit off the corner of the bag and pipe the icing around the edges, if outlining the biscuits 
4. Cut a little more off the corner for filling in the edges or creating decorative flourishes
5. Scatter over bits of candied ginger

Comments:

• 'That is good gingerbread!  The ginger flavour goes to every corner of my mouth.  Love the thin ones; they're so crispy.'   Political Agent
• 'Gingerbread should not be sweet; in these, the proportion of sweet to spicy is just right.  The icing sugar with candied ginger is a good combination. I like the thick ones; they're nice and crumbly.' Dedicated cookie-muncher & Campaign Manager

*inspired by Rachel Khoo

                                                                     More on NavBar: Recipes 1/Cookies

Please leave a Comment in the box below

This recipe has  been adapted by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission. 

STRAWBERRY-RIPPLE YOGHURT ICE-CREAM, 0-fat, no cream

0-fat Yoghurt Ice Cream stridently - but beguilingly - rippled with low-sugar strawberry compote: sweet, refreshing but low-cal...

photo 5.8.18

Low-fat Strawberry Ripple Yoghurt Ice with Chocolate Madeira fingers
'As good as any shop ice cream; doesn't taste low-fat' ; 'Amazing & creamy; great substitute for cream & custard' 'the strawberry blobs & ripples are absolutely glorious.'

67 has so far avoided making ice cream from scratch.  There's no ice-cream maker in the kitchen; custard doesn't work well on the aged electric cooker and anyway, double cream isn't exactly a health food. 

But a home-made 'ice cream' made from 0-fat yoghurt is an entirely different proposition.  Incredibly easy to make, the yoghurt ice - if your fruit is very sweet and little sugar is needed - could even be classed as wholesome food!  

67's Strawberry Ripple Yoghurt Ice is adapted from the beautiful and talented Lorraine Pascal. The recipe  is so easy your kids can make it.  67 added thick low-sugar almost-instant strawberry compote for a bit of pizazz but kids will need supervising if they're making that.

Yoghurt ices aren't creamy in the way that custard and cream based ices are; the texture is more like a rich intensely flavoured sorbet.  But it is zero-fat and the low-sugar compote adds an exciting layer of fruity sweetness without loading on the calories. 

Cost: £4'ish
Feeds: 4-5

Ingred:

Yoghurt Ice Cream 
    450gm/15.8oz plain 0-fat Greek-style yoghurt (67 uses Fahy)
    1/4-1/2 cup icing sugar (67 used 4 tablespoons)
    1 tsp vanilla

Rich, intense strawberry compote

Strawberry Compote
    350gm/12.3oz hulled strawberries, quartered if large
    1/4 cup water
    1-3 tbsp sugar, depending on berries
    1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Method:

Compote (see photos in Instant Jam/Fruit Compote)

1. In a wide frying pan, add strawberries, water and 1 tbsp sugar
2. Cook over med-high heat until the mix is boiling and the strawberries are collapsing; add finely grated lemon zest
3. Turn heat down to low; taste; add a little more sugar if necessary (67's berries were not sweet and added a total 4 tablespoons sugar) 
4. Cook until almost all juice has evaporated and the mix is thick and syrupy
5. Take off heat, cool completely

Ice Cream

1. Whisk icing sugar gradually into the yoghurt until it is sweet enough for your taste
2. Stir in vanilla

Strawberry Ripple Yoghurt ice cream

1. Pour half the yoghurt ice cream base into a container lined with a double layer of cling film; drop teaspoons of compote over the surface, including on the edges 
2. Using a chopstick or skewer, drag it through the ice cream, creating ripples and pockets of strawberries
3. Cover with the rest of the yoghurt base; add smaller, fewer teaspoons of compote on top 
4. Lightly swirl 
5. Cover; freeze 4 hours or ideally overnight

Comments:

'Amazing. Wow. It's so good, really creamy; lovely and cold on a hot day.' Campaign Manager

'It doesn't taste low-fat; it's as good as any shop-bought.' Political Agent

'I wasn't sure about the concept but really liked this; it was unexpectedly creamy but not in a cloying way and the bits of strawberry were utterly delightful.' Retired writer

Tips: 

• Serve in slices or using an ice cream scoop
• Defrost at least 20 mins before serving

More fruit desserts in Recipes II on NavBar

Please leave a comment in the Box below

This recipes has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and  may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.

GUILT-FREE CHINESE BARBEQUED PORK, picnics, prep ahead, lower fat, sugar & salt , portable

Eating healthily doesn't mean pork's off the menu, especially if it's a nearly fat free  Oriental classic that's lower-sugar & salt 

first posted feb 2018

'Perfectly flavoured.' 'A revelation; hard to believe it's low fat/sugar/salt.  ' Tasters

This virtually guilt-free exquisitely flavoured meat is perfect for a summer's picnic.    

The unmistakeable sweet and savoury sauce and crisp slightly burnt edges of the pork is a popular choice in Chinese restaurants.  But many versions are laden with sugar & salt, and some pork strips have hidden layers of thick fat.  

67goingon50 instead used pork fillet that is pure extra-lean meat.  It has less fat than skinless chicken breast and though a little more expensive, goes a long way.     

67's marinade, meanwhile, cuts sugar, reduces soy sauce and salt to minimise blood pressure and blood sugar issues. 

It does not include the usual red or yellow bean sauces which will likely sit at the back of a westerner's cupboard.  But 67 introduces a 'new' Asian flavour: hoisin sauce*.  No apologies because a jar of this dark, salty-sweet smokey condiment will be used again and again -- as a glaze, a dipping sauce or (like oyster sauce) a flavouring for fried rice. 

Preparation of the meat is simple but needs to be done a day in advance.  The  wonderfully tender, succulent guilt-free meat will be a real crowd-pleaser. 

Cost: £3-4, depending on meat 
Serves:  4-6 as a snack at a picnic or buffet 

Ingred:
   400-500gm/12-16oz pork fillet, trimmed of fat & sinew

 Marinade:
     1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
     1 tsp oyster sauce
     1/2 tsp reduced-salt soy sauce
     1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil (or peanut oil)
     3/4 tsp sugar
     1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup or honey     
     2-3 tbsp brandy or sherry
     1 tbsp tahini or smooth peanut butter
     2 med cloves garlic, peeled & grated
     2 tbsp peeled & grated ginger
    1 tsp 5-spice powder     
    1/2 star anise

     red food colour without e numbers* (opt) (67 didn't bother)

Method:

MINI BEEF KOFTAS FOR PICNICS & BUFFETS

67's spicy Greek style koftas in miniature, make perfect canapés...

first posted 2018/ updated 6/25

Beef Mini-Koftas
'Everyone loved these! And they looked really good.' Tasters

A platter of spicy little barrels of beef was included in 67's first formal catering event, a lunch for activists at the local elections. They went down a storm.  

The mini-kofta are full of intense flavours - spicy, herby and meaty - and, accompanied with an exotic tahini sauce, brought exclamations of delight.  

It's a perfect dish to make ahead; the flavour deepens as it sits.  Most of it can be prepared up to two days ahead: the meat can be mixed and moulded and the sauce made; both can be refrigerated in a couple of layers of cling film until needed.  The vegetable crudités, which add colour as well as crispness, can be prepared the night before.

The mini koftas in the photo are made with low-fat beef mince.  Lamb is traditional used but lower-fat minced turkey thigh also works well.   

Cost: £6.50'ish+ for beef; total £5'ish (5/23); turkey is more expensive
Makes: 24+ mini-koftas 

Ingred:
   500 gm minced beef
   1 med onion or half a Spanish onion, grated or processed into small shards OR an equivalent fodmap-friendly fennel bulb, (tough outer leaves and fronds removed, soaked in a 3/4:1/4 solution of water & vinegar 20 mins, drained and 1/2 inch removed from the bottom of the leaves and stems).

    1.5 tsp paprika
    1.5 tsp cumin
    1 tsp cinnamon
    1 tsp dried coriander
    zest of one lemon
    2-3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped medium fine, or 1 tsp dried
    2-3 tbsp fresh parsley or chives, chopped medium fine, or 1 tsp dried
    1 egg (opt)
    pepper & salt

Method

1. Spread out mince on a sheet of greaseproof paper
2. Cover with onion and dried herbs only; mix well with two forks or with hands, ensuring the herbs are blended into the meat.  Work lightly; the koftas should be moist and yielding, not hard as rocks
3. Add lemon zest & fresh herbs; stir well, distributing everything evenly; mix in egg if using.  Break off a tablespoon; fry to check for seasoning; add pepper & salt as needed 
4. Use a small 1.5 inch/4 cm ice cream scoop to divide the mix into equal pottions.  Form each into a barrel shape; place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, leaving a little space in between. 
5. Cover loosely in 2 layers of clingfilm,  ensuring the pan is air tight;  refrigerate overnight
6. When ready to cook, allow mini-koftas to come to room temperature.
7. Preheat oven to 180c/350f
8. Bake 15 mins, or until centres are no longer pink 
9. Transfer to a cooling rack lined with paper towels; once no longer hot, scrape or rub off any juices that have seeped from the mini-kofta
10. Spear kofta with cocktail sticks
11. Arrange on a platter around tahini dressing and Chinese crudités   

Tahini Dressing:

   200gm/7oz thick o-fat dairy or plant yoghurt

   4 generous tbsp mayonnaise
   2 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
   1 med clove garlic, finely grated
   2 tbsp chopped fresh mint or 2 tsp dried  
   pepper & salt
   2 tbsp good tahini
   1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (opt)
   
Mix well

Comments from political activists & council candidates:
    'Loved these!'
    'Beautifully spiced though I could have used more heat.'
    'Looks so pretty.' 
    'These are really, really good.'

   
Tip:

• make these in larger sizes for a portable lunch
• finely diced fresh chillis or chilli flakes can be served in a separate dish 

                          

 More hot weather dishes on Nav Bar: Recipes I   

Please leave a comment

    

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.   

CHICKEN, ORANGE & HOISIN TRAYBAKE

An easy one-tray dish plus wine makes a sophisticated adult dinner...

Adult supper: Chicken, Orange and Hoisin traybake 
'Sophisticated, lightly and beautifully exotic; really tasty' 

photo 28/2/18

When the kids have gone to bed and parents can relax, this mouth-watering distinctive tray-bake is a perfect treat.

Chunks of healthy veg complement meaty chicken pieces, bathed but not buried in an enticing lower-fat sauce.  

Thighs would be best for this dish but drums can also be added.  Buy the best you can afford from a source you trust.

The all-in-one dish, alongside a pretty plate of simple salad ingredients, will be a delight for cook as well as guests.  It will go a lot further served on a bed of noodles or rice with extra steamed vegetables. 

Cost: £4-5

Serves: 4-6

Ingreds:

   750gm/26oz (6-8 pieces) chicken thighs or thighs & drums, skin removed

FRUGAL MEATS FOR JANUARY: HAM HOCK, Easy-peasy, fat-free, packed lunch, make ahead

A FRUGAL CUT OF HAM THAT TICKS ALL THE BOXES

Cooked Ham Hock: plenty of freezable meat for under a fiver!

Ham Hock is one of those 'budget' cuts that really delivers - a cut price bacon that goes far. 

A hock is a knuckle-like formation, neither leg nor foot, surrounded by thick layers of flesh.  It comes either plain or smoked; the smoked is slightly more fibrous and bacon-y.  Ham hock is quite a bargain when a couple of slices of ham on the bone costs a similar amount -- around £4.  If you're inclined, even some organic butchers stock ham hocks.   

The meat is wonderful - tender and juicy slabs with just the right amount of distinctive saltiness that never overwhelms.  

Unlike ham, hock is not usually served on its own.  It's used to add flavour to greens, soups, casseroles, breakfasts and hotbreads.  It lifts pulses beautifully and is a great substitute for bacon.  Sliced and teamed with coleslaw or celeriac & apple slaw, it also makes a great sandwich

Ham hocks do require special treatment but the steps are simple.  The hock is soaked overnight, then boiled twice to remove salt and tenderise the meat.  It's best if this is done on a day when you're relaxing at home and not frantically busy -- and you get to enjoy the wonderful aromas of simmering ham hock wafting through your kitchen.  

Raw and cooked ham hock freeze well.

Cost:  £4.00'ish 
Provides: 3/4 pound/1/3 kilo of meat 

Method: