Potted ham hock with piccalilli

Potted ham hock with piccalilli Method 1. For the piccalilli: tip all of the vegetables into a large pan or bowl, mix with the salt, cover and leave overnight.

The following day, rinse the vegetables thoroughly to remove the salt.

In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with a splash of the white wine vinegar to form a smooth paste. Pour the remaining vinegar into a large non-reactive saucepan, add the sugar and all the spices then stir in the cornflour paste.

Bring to the boil over a high heat then reduce the heat to medium and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the vegetables, remove from the heat and transfer to clean jars.

For the potted ham hock: place the ham hocks in a large saucepan or stock pot with the carrot, onion and 2 stalks of halved celery. Pour over enough cold water to cover the ham hocks and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours or until the ham is tender and pulls away easily from the bone.

Remove the ham hocks from the cooking stock and set aside to cool slightly. Return the cooking stock to a high heat and boil for 10 minutes, or until reduced in volume to the consistency of double cream.

When the ham is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bone and flake it into a mixing bowl. Add the diced celery and shallot, capers and chopped herbs and enough of the reduced stock to just bind the mixture together.

Season well with salt and black pepper and transfer to a large serving dish or individual ramekins. When cool, cover and transfer to the fridge to set for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Serve the potted ham hock with the piccalilli and plenty of crusty bread.