Ok, I have gone off the beaten track a little lately and forgotten what I originally started this Blog for and that was for my Children, so that they had somewhere they could get hold of all their favourite recipes, where ever they were.

 
So getting back on track, this recipe has to be on the Blog, this is a family tradition, handed down from Jasmine (Simon & Stephen’s Nonna) but with a modern day twist, kindly provided by the Domestic Goddess herself Nigella.
 
Every Christmas, Jasmine would boil a huge ham for boxing day, we ate it with bubble & squeak for lunch, in sandwiches with mustard on fresh sliced bread and only with real butter, never marge for snacks & sliced with chips & fried egg. What ever way we had it, we loved it.
 
I carried the tradition on by always making this dish for Boxing Day when we all come together round the table, it wouldn’t be Christmas without this dish and I am sure the Children would never forgive me if I cooked something else. It always has to be served with Rosie’s dauphinoise and savoy cabbage, there is a lot of noise, a lot of laughter, but always a warm feeling and a massive smile on my face having them all under the same roof for a while.
 
This recipe I would also like to dedicate to Graham & Neil, as I have cooked this for them at a dinner party once & they loved it. Hope you guys remember !!!!
 
But as always, Buon appetito.
 
Serves 8
 
2.25kg – 2.75kg boneless mild cured gammon
approx 6 cans cherry coke (I always by the large bottles, its easier & someone will always drink what’s left over).
1 onion
 
For the glaze :
approx 16 whole cloves (I leave these out as I hate them, yuk)
3 – 4 tablespoons cherry jam
1 teaspoon pimenton dulce or smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
 
Put the ham snugly into a large saucepan (you really need the tightest fit that you can get, so that you don’t have to use loads of coke later) and fill with cold water. Put the pan on the heat and bring to the boil, then drain the ham into a colander, wash the ham under the tap and rinse the saucepan before putting the ham back in. This gets rid of some of the saltiness.
 
Add the cherry coke and the onion, halved, to the ham and if the liquid doesn’t cover it then add some water (hence why I buy the large bottles, that way I have loads to top up with). Put back onto the heat and bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and partially cover the pan. Cook for approx 2 – 2 1/4 hours.
 
When you are ready to glaze the ham, preheat the oven to gas mark 8, 230c.
 
Remove the ham from the liquid, reserving a little for later, and put the ham on a board. Strip off the rind, and a little layer of the fat layers if it’s very thick, and cut a diamond pattern into the remaining fat with a knife in lines about 2cm apart. Stud each diamond with a clove.
 
Put the jam, pimenton dulce and red wine vinegar into a saucepan and whisk together over a high heat, bringing to the boil. Let the pan bubble away so that the glaze reduces to a syrupy consistency that will coat the ham.
 
Sit the ham in a roasting pan on a layer of foil, as the sugar in the glaze will burn in the oven as it drips off. Pour the glaze over the diamond studded ham and then put it in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the glazed fat has caught and burnished.
 
Take the ham out of the oven and return to the craving board to rest before you carve it.