Baked Christmas Ham

Ingredients:

1 onion medium, sliced

1 carrot large, sliced

1 Tbl. butter

1 Tbl. vegetable oil

3 Tbl. parsley fresh sprigs

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp. thyme dried

1 ham (4- to 5-pound) cooked, skinned and trimmed of fat

1 1/2 cup beef broth, canned

4 oz. madeira wine

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté the vegetables in butter and oil for about 10 minutes in a roasting pan or casserole, until they are very lightly browned. Add parsley, bay leaf and thyme. Place ham over vegetables, fat side up; add broth and wine and bring to simmer on top of stove. Cover and place roaster or casserole in middle of preheated oven. Regulate heat so that liquid barely simmers for about 1 1/2 hours. Baste frequently with juices in pan.

2. Remove from oven and sprinkle confectioners' sugar over the top of the ham and return to oven under broiler. Watch closely until nice and evenly browned. Cool and refrigerate. When cold, slice very thinly and arrange attractively on platter for serving. Serve at room temperature.

Christmas Turkey

Stuffed With Cognac

Ingredients:

1 farm turkey (11 lb. size)

18 oz. boneless pork loin

1 cup raisins

1 small glass cognac

10 chicken livers

1 bowl stale white bread crumbs

6 oz. milk

1 egg

1 onion

Salt, pepper, oil

2 slices York ham

2 lbs. carrots

3 lbs. broccoli

6 Tbl. butter

1 Tbl. sugar

1. Wash the raisins; drain, combine them with the cognac and leave to soak. Soak the bread crumbs in the milk.

2. Finely chop the onions, sauté them for a few minutes in a skillet in hot oil. Peel, core and dice the apples; add them to the onions and cook five minute more; set aside in a bowl.

3. Chop the chicken livers and the liver from the turkey; sear in hot oil. Drain the raisins, reserving the cognac. Pour the cognac onto the livers. Once it boils, flambé it and let reduce by half.

4. Finely chop the ham. Finely chop the pork; sear it in the pan; add to the apples the livers, pork, raisins, ham, bread crumbs and egg; season with salt and pepper.

5. Stuff the turkey with this mixture. Tie up the opening. Brush the turkey with oil and place into a 220 degrees C (425 degrees F) oven for 40 minutes. Reduce the heat to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F). Add a few knobs of butter and baste frequently.

6. Peel the carrots. Slice into rounds. Place into cold water and cook with the butter and sugar. Cut the broccoli into little florets; steam and then sauté in a little butter.

7. To serve, place the turkey on a warmed serving platter, accompanied by the carrots and broccoli florets.

Christmas Eve

Seafood Chowder

Ingredients:

6 cups water

4 lg. potatoes, diced

1 lg. onion, diced

1 tsp. salt

1 lb. raw fish, haddock, sole, pollack, salmon

1 can broken lobster

1 can (10 oz. size) clams or bar clams

12 oz. scallops

2 cups cereal cream

1 cup whole milk

4 Tbl. butter

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 Tbl. parsley, fresh chopped, dried

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

1. Dice potatoes, simmer in water in large saucepan until tender. Add diced onion, fish and salt. Simmer until fish is tender. Add canned seafood and scallops. Simmer five minutes, add cream, milk and butter. Heat until very hot but not boiling, simmer on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

2. Add parsley and green onions just before serving.

Christmas Ham

Braised In White

Wine With Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 Tbl. unsalted butter

3/4 cup carrots -- thinly sliced

3/4 cup chopped onions

1 cooked ham (5 lbs, boneless, or boned in ham 5 to 6 lbs)

4 cups dry white wine-divided

6 sprigs parsley

2 bay leaves-broken in half

6 peppercorns- crushed

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 dash ground cloves

1/4 cup apple jelly

3 Tbl. dijon-style mustard

2 cups nonfat chicken broth

10 1/2 Tbl. cornstarch

10 1/2 Tbl. cold water

1 bunch fresh watercress for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350. Heat butter in large, heavy roasting pan over medium heat. When hot, add carrots and onions and sauté, stirring, until softened, about three minutes. Place ham, fat-side up, on top of vegetables. Add 3 cups wine, parsley, bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme and cloves to pan. Bring to a simmer. Remove from stovetop. Cover pan; transfer to oven. Bake until quite tender when pierced with knife, about 1 1/2 hours or longer, basting every 20 minutes with pan juices. Remove pan from oven; raise temperature to 450. Combine jelly and mustard in small saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring, until jelly is dissolved. Brush ham with mustard mixture and return to oven; bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Remove ham from pan; tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let cool for 20 minutes while making sauce. Discard bay leaves and parsley. Puree remaining vegetables and any juices in pan in food processor, blender or food mill. Return to roasting pan; place pan on stovetop over high heat. Add remaining 1 cup wine and stock; cook until mixture is reduced slightly, by a fourth. Stir together cornstarch and water; stir into roasting pan and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens lightly.

2. To serve, cut ham into thin slices and arrange, overlapping, on serving platter. Garnish with watercress, top with a little sauce. Pass remaining sauce separately.

Classic Prime Rib

Ingredients:

1 Standing roast of beef (4-rib)

2 Tbl. Flavorless cooking oil

Salt and pepper; to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Trim the excess fat from the roast, leaving only 1/4-inch of fat. Heat the oil in a large roasting pan over medium-to-high heat on top of the stove. When the oil is hot, place the roast, fat-side down, in the pan and brown for five minutes. Turn the roast on one end and cook another five minutes. Turn on the other end and cook five minutes. Remove from heat and discard fat. Sprinkle with desired salt and pepper. Place roast in oven and immediately reduce heat to 350 degrees. Roast approximately 12 minutes per pound for medium-rare, or about 2 hours for a 10-lb roast. Remove the pan from the oven, remove the roast from the pan and let stand for 25 minutes before carving. To serve, strain the gravy into a sauceboat and carve the roast at the table, counting on about 2 people per rib.

2. Freezing the roast: Do not carve the entire roast if you don't have to. A whole solid piece of meat is more successfully cooked when defrosted than a few smaller pieces. Before freezing, heat a dry fry pan over high heat on top of the stove. Place the remainder of the roast, cut side down, in the pan and sear well. Allow the roast to cool to room temperature. Wrap with freezer paper and then over wrap in plastic wrap. Label and place in the freezer for up to one month. Defrost, without unwrapping, in the refrigerator for 24 to 28 hours. To reheat defrosted rib roast, wrap prime rib in one layer of microwave plastic wrap and place in a covered roasting pan or Dutch oven.

3. Cover, place in the oven, turn temperature to 250 degrees and cook about eight minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer placed in the thickest part of the roast reads 110 degrees. Remove pan from the oven and turn temperature to 450 degrees. Unwrap the roast, replace, uncovered in the pan and replace in the oven for about 15 minutes to crust the outside.

Wild Turkey Jambalaya

2 Tbl. olive oil

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped

1 tsp. garlic minced

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. red or black pepper

1 cup uncooked long grain rice

2 cup fat-free low sodium Chicken broth

1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

2 cups shredded and cooked turkey

6 oz. andouille sausage, chopped

2 Tbl. green onion, sliced

Heat oil in large dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, sauté six minutes or until slightly browned. Stir in next 7 ingredients-- Bell peppers to the black pepper. Sauté one minute. Stir in broth, tomatoes. Bring to Boil over medium heat, simmer for 15 minutes. Add turkey, sausage. Cover for another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions and enjoy.

Moondog

Tiffin, Ohio