Ham stock

I like ham.  I know that there are bad things about pork in general and ham in particular and I know that a lot of people say that you shouldn’t eat it for a variety of reasons.  But I like it.  Not as much as I like bacon mind you, but I still like it.

It is a quick food to grab in the morning for breakfast or a snack.  We buy it cooked and spiral cut.  I like to take it out of the package when I get home and take the bone, extra fat and odd bits off and make a ham stock with it or wrap them up and freeze them so I can make stock later. 

I put all the parts that I have cut off in a pot, stick in some onions and cover everything with water, put the cover on and then simmer on the stove.    After it has cooked for a awhile I taste it and see how salty it is.  If it doesn’t have much flavor I will take off the cover and simmer on the lowest setting to reduce it down and I will check it every once in a while to see if it has reached the point that I like the flavor.  The last steps are to strain and then put it in the fridge so the fat hardens on the top and can be easily taken off.

Today, I also got some baby boy choy and wanted a snack, so I cut up some bok choy and ham, put it in a bowl and poured some of my almost finished stock over it – instant soup! 

I topped it off with a bit of freshly cracked pepper and dried onions and it was wonderful.