Ham Broth (and How to Cook a Smoked and Cured Picnic Ham)

One of my favourite special occasion dinners has to be the ham dinner! Not only are ham dinners oh so tasty but the are also super easy to make and coming up with interesting ways of using all of the leftovers is always fun! There are different kinds of hams and my favourite is the smoked and cured picnic ham which often comes on sale for dirt cheap and it never disappoints. You can cook a smoked and cured picnic ham a number of way and I usually go with a combination of boiling and roasting which gives you the best of both worlds. Boiling the ham first allows you to make a tasty broth while simmering it, helps cut down on the saltiness of the ham and helps keep the ham nice and moist and tender. You get the ham broth by adding your favourite broth ingredients like onions, carrots and celery along with some herbs and spices to the water while boiling the ham. After the initial boil the ham is pat dry and roasted to finish the cooking and you can opt to go for a crispy cracking or a glaze to add flavour.

How amazing is that? This one ham gives you a tasty ham dinner, optionally with crackling, leftovers, ham broth, a ham bone to be used in soups or stew!

(See below for ideas about what to use the ham broth, bone and leftovers in.)

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Easy Homemade Chicken Broth

At the base of any great soup is a broth and although store bought broth is convenient, a homemade broth will have more flavour and it is super easy to make! Chicken broth is probably going to be your work horse broth and it is a simple to make as simmering a chicken along with some vegetables, herbs and spices. Homemade chicken broth really only requires about 5 minutes of effort to throw everything into the pot and then 5 minutes to collect the meat from the chicken at the end so there is no excuse not to make your own!

One of the things that I like about making chicken broth is the reduction in waste! Instead of throwing out those celery or carrot ends, toss them into the freezer until the next time that you make broth. I always seem to have leftovers when I buy fresh herbs and instead of throwing them out I now save them for the next time that I make broth! After the broth has been made you have a chicken carcass that can be saved to make chicken stock getting even more use from your chicken!

Another great benefit of making your own chicken broth is that you control exactly what goes into it so there is no worrying about salt content or unpronounceable ingredients.

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Shrimp Stock

Ever since I discovered how easy it is to make your own stocks at home, I have been hooked! In addition to being easy to make, the homemade versions pack in more flavour than the store bought ones and better yet, you control exactly what goes into them. Although I tend to make chicken stock the most frequently, I also enjoy making shrimp stock for use in shrimp based soups and all that is really required is that you save the shells and heads until you have enough to make some stock. The shells and heads will store well in the freezer until you have enough of them so it only really costs you a bit of freezer space.

One of the nice things about stock recipes is that you can play around with them and if you know what you are going to be using the stock in ahead of time you can tailor the recipe to suit. This is a pretty standard version of the recipe where I start with the classics of onion, celery, carrots, garlic, parsley, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Since the dish that I was planning to use the shrimp stock in contained thyme, I threw some into the stock as well. Stocks generally need a lot of simmering time to draw out all of the flavours and although shrimp stock does not absolutely require as much time, I like to simmer it for a while to let the stock reduce a bit and concentrate those flavours. Once the stock is made it will keep for a few days in the fridge so you can make it ahead of time or you can store it in the freezer for longer periods of time.

Shrimp Stock

(makes 6 cups)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
the shells and heads from 2 pounds shrimp
1 onion (quartered)
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
2 cloves garlic (peeled and smashed)
1 handful parsley
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper corns
2 teaspoons salt
8 cups water

Directions:
1. Bring everything to a boil in a large stock pot, reduce the heat and simmer for 1-3 hours.
2. Strain the solids from the stock and let cool.
3. Store in fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to a month.

Use in:
Shrimp Creole
Shrimp Gumbo
Shrimp Etouffee
Tom Yum Goong Soup (Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup)
Shrimp Bisque
Pumpkin and Shrimp Bisque
Panang Curried Pumpkin and Prawn Soup
Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles

Similar Recipes:
Chicken Stock
Chicken Broth
Turkey Stock
Beef Stock
Vegetable Broth
Ham Broth

Vegetable Broth

There were a few soups on my to try list that called for vegetable broth and I thought that instead of buying vegetable broth it would be more fun to make my own. A vegetable broth is pretty simple; you just simmer vegetables and herbs in water for a long period of time. I decided to form the base of the broth with onions, celery and carrots. I have been wanting to use fennel more so I made sure that I had some of that but otherwise I just threw in what I had. Since roasting vegetables really brings out their flavour I knew that I would have to roast the vegetables for the broth. The broth turned out really well. It had an amazing aroma and a full and robust flavour. Broths and stocks generally freeze well so you can make a lot and freeze the extra for later use.

Ingredients:
2 onions (cut into big chunks)
2 carrots (cut into big chunks)
2 stalks celery (cut into big chunks)
1 head of garlic
1 red pepper (cut into big chunks)
1 bulb fennel (cut into big chunks)
1 handful mushrooms (cut into big chunks)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 handful sage leaves
1 tomato (cut into big chunks)
3 bay leaves
* water

Directions:
1. Toss the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, red pepper, fennel, and mushrooms in the olive oil with the salt and pepper.
2. Roast the vegetables in a preheated 400F oven until golden browned, about 40-60 minutes.
3. Place the roasted vegetables,thyme, rosemary, sage, tomato and bay leaves in a large stock pot.
4. Fill the pot with water.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 4-6 hours adding more water if needed.
6. Strain the solids from the vegetable broth.

Use in:
Pumpkin Chorizo and Black Bean Soup
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Cauliflower Soup with Goat Cheese
Spinach and Artichoke Dip Tortellini Soup
Creamy Roasted Mushroom and Brie Soup
Creamy Parmesan Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Soup
Caramelized Pear and Blue Cheese Soup
Quick and Easy Chinese Hot and Sour Soup
Crispy Honey Lemon Cauliflower on Chili and Garlic Stir Fried Zoodles

Similar Recipes:
Chicken Stock
Chicken Broth
Beef Stock
Turkey Stock
Shrimp Stock
Ham Broth

Easy Hommade Chicken Stock

Making soup tonight? This time how about using a chicken stock instead of a chicken broth? Chicken stock is chicken broths older brother and is more full bodied and has more flavour! A chicken broth is made by simmering a chicken in water along with some vegetables, herbs and spices whereas a chicken stock is made by simmering chicken carcasses in water along with the same ingredients. The bones provide a ton of extra flavour and chicken stock is perfect for a tasty chicken noodle soup where a strong chicken flavour is required! Just like chicken broth, chicken stock is super easy to make, requiring only a few minutes of active time and the rest is just unattended simmering. Making your own chicken stock is a great way to get further use from your chickens so save the carcass from your roast chicken dinner in the freezer for the next chicken stock!

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Beef Stock

I just had to use the bones from my prime rib dinner to make beef stock. I rarely get to make my own stock and so whenever I get the chance I do so. Home made stock just adds that extra bit of flavour to whatever you are using it in. Making stock is a great way to finish off those extra vegetables and herbs that you have lying around. I tend to just toss in whatever I have. I was thinking that it might be a good idea to add some roasted mushrooms to the stock but I was a bit worried that it would become more of a mushroom stock. Maybe I will try it next time. Of course one of the first things that I did with my newly made beef stock was to use it and some slices of the roast beef to make some beef ramen.

Ingredients:
* beef bones
1 onion (chopped)
2 carrots (peeled and chopped)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
* water
2 cups dry red wine
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
6 sage leaves
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Roast the bones and vegetables in a preheated 450F oven for 45 minutes.
2. Transfer everything to a large stock pot and fill it with water.
3. Add the wine, herbs, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
4. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 4-6 hours.
5. Let it cool.
6. Stain out the bits.
7. Refrigerate it and skim of the fat.

Similar Recipes:
Chicken Stock
Chicken Broth
Turkey Stock
Vegetable Broth
Shrimp Stock
Ham Broth

Turkey Stock

I have been wanting to try making my own stock for a while now. When I made my oven roasted turkey drumstick dinner I made sure to cook extra drumsticks so that I could use them to make some turkey stock. I froze all of the bones and leftover meat and vegetables until I was ready to make the stock. Making the stock was pretty easy though it needs to simmer for a long time. It is something that you would want to do on a weekend. The stock had an amazing aroma both while it was cooking and after it was refrigerated.

Ingredients:
* leftover turkey bones and meat
* leftover roasted vegetables (optional)
1 onion (chopped)
2 carrots (peeled and chopped)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
1 sprig of thyme (optional)
1 sprig of rosemary (optional)
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
* water

Directions:
1. Place everything in a large stock pot and cover and fill with water.
2. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3-6 hours adding more water if needed.
3. Let it cool.
4. Stain out the bits reserving the meat if you want to use it in another dish.
5. Refrigerate it and skim of the fat.

Similar Recipes:
Chicken Stock
Chicken Broth
Beef Stock
Vegetable Broth
Shrimp Stock
Ham Broth