Christmas Ham Recipe
Thanksgiving has passed, the turkey leftovers are being devoured, and soon the memory will be swept away in a whirl of holiday cheer. If you’re looking for a great way to celebrate Christmas dinner without reliving the 8-hour cooking job that Thanksgiving calls for, check out this great ham recipe that’s ready in no time.
What you’ll need:
1 fully-cooked ham, spiral cut
2/3 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup apricot jam
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. While your oven preheats, mix together your brown sugar, apricot jam and mustard powder in a bowl and brush it onto the cooked ham using a barbeque brush. Wrap your ham in foil and place it in the oven. Cook for about 14 minutes per pound of ham, so a 10-pound ham would be 2 hours and 20 minutes. If you have any remaining glaze, apply it to the ham after cooking to ensure maximum taste.
If you like spicy food, or just want to give your ham a little kick, adding some pepper flakes for a little heat is a sure-fire success. The best part is that the recipe is easy to make, and requires very little maintenance. Simply toss the ham in the oven and begin cooking your side dishes. Pair this ham with a leafy green vegetable, mashed potatoes and rolls for a Christmas feast your family is sure to love.
Steak in Rare Form
If you’re a true meat-lover (obviously you are if you landed on this site) then I have an amazing “cooking” technique that you must try. The technique is called a ceviche (or seviche) and it originated in Central and South America. Typically it’s used with seafood, but it works great with steak too.
So what is it, and why is “cooking” in quotations? Ceviche is the practice of marinating raw meat or seafood in citrus juices (lemon and lime) and eating without cooking the meat at all. Before you get completely disgusted, I should mention that the citrus marinade actually does cook the meat, just not the way we’re used to. (It denatures the meat, Google it if you’re interested.)Anyway, the result is that the steak takes on the great flavors used in the marinade and maintains the awesome texture that only rare meat can offer.
Before you run off consuming 8 oz. raw sirloin, I should mention a few rules of the game. First, getting a fresh cut of steak and thinly slicing and pounding it before marinating will help you to consume it, as raw meat is pretty chewy. How long should you marinade? That depends on personal preference. Technically, the steak should be ready to go within minutes, but the longer you leave the meat in the marinade, the more it will take on the flavors you use.
And that brings me to flavors. For your marinade mixture the only things you MUST use are citrus juices, but they can be any citrus fruits you choose. Lemon and lime make a great tangy flavor, and orange or key lime make for a slightly sweeter meat. In addition to your citrus, I recommend using your favorite spices. If you like hot food, throwing in some pepper flakes gives the meat a great kick.
My recommendation – lemon and lime with salt, garlic and your favorite hot pepper flakes marinated for at least 3 hours (overnight if you can) and served with a Mexican dish. The citrus flavor works great with onions, peppers and guacamole. Buen provecho!
Taqueria Style Tacos
Ingredients
The Meat
- 3/4 lb flank steak
The Marinade
- 1.5 TBSP white vinegar
- 2 TBSP soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 a lime, juiced
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- a dash each of: salt, ground black pepper, ground white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, dried oregano, ground cumin, paprika
The Relish
- 1/4 white onion, chopped
- 2 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 lime, juiced
The Salsa
- 1 small tomato, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
- 1/4 white onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 dried New Mexico chile pod
- A pinch of salt and pepper to taste
- 4 corn tortillas
- 1/2 cup grated cotija cheese, or similar
- 1/2 lime, quartered
The Directions
- Cut the meat into cubes or strips.
- Whisk the marinade ingredients together. Lay the meat in a glass baking dish, and pour the marinade over the steak. Flip it to make sure both sides are well-coated. Cover and let marinade for up to 8 hours. Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. Marinade for 2 to 8 hours.
- Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- Stir the relish ingredients together and place in a small bowl for serving.
- Toast chile pods in a skillet over medium-high heat until slightly crispy, then remove and soak in a bowl of water for 1/2 hour.
- Roast the ingredients for the salsa on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes until slightly toasted. Remove and puree together with the chili pods until smooth.
- Heat some canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak marinade, stir and cook to taste.
- Warm the tortillas in a skillet or microwave briefly (less than 1 minute).
- Put the meat on the tortillas, add the relish, cheese and salsa.
- Garnish with lime wedges, and serve.
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