Recipe: Ham in coca cola

Ingredients
1.4kg gammon joint
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
2 litre bottle of Coca-cola (don't even think about putting diet coke into this dish. It won't work!)

For the glaze
1 heaped tablespoon of black treacle
2 teaspoons of English mustard powder
2 tablespoons of demerara sugar

I bought a smoked gammon joint which is a bit too salty. I put it into a large pan , covered with cold water and then brought it to the boil. Then, tip into a colander.

1. Put the onion into the pan, add the gammon joint and pour over the coke. Bring to the boil (without lid) and then let the liquid simmer and reduce for about 2 and a half hours.
2.  When it has had its time take it out of the pan (but don't throw away the liquid). Let it cool a little before handling. Preheat the oven to 240 C.
3. Remove the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat with a sharp knife and make diamond shapes. Stud each diamond with a clove. Gently pat the mustard and sugar onto the sticky fat. Cook in a foil-lined roasting tin for about 10 minutes or until the glaze is burnished and bubbly.

This is a seriously tasty recipe from one of my favourite cooks, Nigella Lawson. She suggests that this ham will go perfect with almost anything) but for a real Southern USA style she suggests her eggily golden sweetcorn pudding.  This is what I am making today.

Recipe for sweetcorn pudding click here.