What are we all having for dinner?

[TheGoodEarth]

On the east coast we would pronounce it 'how' and it would be prefixed by 'potted'.

http://www.scottishrecipes.co.uk/pottedhough.htm

[Milims]

Wow! How many different but very similar sounding terms for two different things - IYKWIM! OK - let me get this straight - hock/how (said almost like you are gently but breathily clearing your throat) is ham. Hoff/hough is beef shin. Oh how/hock/hoff/hough confusing is food!

[Millymollymandy]

Absolutely!!! Haven't got a clue what to do with either piece of meat and wouldn't recognise it if it hit me in the face!

[Green Aura]

Pig!!!!! (That's not a comment on you lot btw )

In England, well, in the north anyway, you can buy pork hocks or bacon hocks (don't like them). They used to be dirt cheap but no doubt some celebrity chef has bigged 'em up as they seem to have gone up a lot recently.

[zaxdog]

Boil a hough "haw" up with lots of root veg and lentils then take it out and strip the meat off returning the meat to the soup and give the bone to the dog

Tonight for us will just be a few munchies from the freezer as we are just heading out for a Rememberance lunch (profits to the British Legion) and will be too full up for a big meal in the evening!

[scrap]

We got a good deal on a sizeable lump of raw ham yesterday, so I grilled it up on the turnspit today.
I grabbed some rosemary from the garden,and mashed it up in a pestle & mortar with 3 big cloves of garlic,black peppercorns and seasalt. Smoothed the mix with some olive oil and rubbed it all over the ham.
Then I wrapped it up with some thin-sliced bacon and drizzled a fair amount of dark honey over it.

As an afterthought I placed a pyrex dish under the turnspit to keep the oven clean(ish..) and poured the last of my home-made apple wine in it.
Slowly roasted the ham at 160 C for two hours,basting it every 15 minutes or so with the apple wine.
Damn that tasted great.

[bonniethomas06]

The smoked hough is cooking nicely with some split peas in the slow cooker.

BTW - how do you folks cook pulses in the slow cooker? When I tried this a while back the split peas were still hard after a full days cooking on high, so the last couple of times I've done it I've brought them to the boil in a pan and then chucked them in. A bit of a faff but still better than using the oven - even though they always cook perfectly in there!

GA do you put salt in at the end, or with the other ingredients? I am told that salt should always go in at the end when you are cooking lentils, or it stops them absorbing the liquid properly.

I do this and my lentils are lovely and soft?

[scrap]

...Still eating grilled ham.

[Millymollymandy]

Tomato lentil soup and soda bread - but I need to buy more bicarb as mine's more than 4 years out of date and the bread didn't really swell up very much!

[Green Aura]

put salt in at the end, or with the other ingredients

I don't put any salt in at all Bonnie. The hough is already salty, presumably part of the smoking process. I think that is the problem - well that combined with the slow cooker just not being quite hot enough. I'll try boiling them for longer next time - I've still got my sheet of smoked ribs to do yet

[spider8]

Good old-fashined stew.......Orkney minced beef with onion, peas, garlic, seasoning and lots of potatoes.

[JessieMac]

We always soaked the hough overnight and then boiled it in fresh water to take out the salt.

[Milims]

Beef cobbler!

[Green Aura]

We always soaked the hough overnight and then boiled it in fresh water to take out the salt.

Now you tell me

That's not a bad idea, although without adding any extra salt it was just right. Might try that with the ribs though - but will it remove the smokiness too?

[zaxdog]

I'd listen to JessieMac about cooking she knows her stuff which is how I grew up big and strong! She's my wonderful Mum!!!!

Tonight here is sausage casserole with chorizo served with hot rolls!