30 Ham hock and caper terrine Paul Robinson

Ham hock and caper terrine

prep: 25-30 minutes cook: 6 hours
4 people

Ingredients

for the terrine

3 ham hocks, cured

10 peppercorns

3 bay leaves

½ onion

2 sticks celery

1 sprig thyme

2 sheets gelatine

40g small capers

1 small bunch of parsley, chopped

for the piccalilli

30g salt

1l water

1 red pepper, diced small

1 yellow pepper, diced small

½ cucumber, diced small

1 courgette, diced small

100g onion, finely chopped

¼ cauliflower, broken into small florets

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

350ml white wine vinegar

½ chilli

75g caster sugar

2 tbsps horseradish

1 sprig thyme

1 bay leaf

20g cornflour

1 heaped tsp turmeric

35g Dijon mustard

to serve

sourdough toast
lamb’s lettuce

Method

To make the terrine, in a large pan cover the ham hocks in water, add the peppercorns, bay leaves, onion, celery and thyme and bring to the boil; simmer for 4-5 hours until tender. Remove the hocks from the cooking liquor onto a tray, then place the pan back on to the heat and reduce the cooking liquor by half and put to one side. Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft, boil 500ml of the cooking liquor and add the gelatine. Put to one side and allow to cool. Shred the ham by hand into small pieces, removing any bone or chunks of fat. Place the capers and parsley in the bowl with the shredded ham, add some of the cooled cooking liquor until coated and mix well. Line a terrine mould or ramekins with cling film and press the ham in firmly. Cover and chill overnight until set.

To make the piccalilli, dissolve the salt in the water. Place the peppers, cucumber, courgette, onion, cauliflower and celery in a sealable container with the salted water and leave to soak overnight. Prepare a pickling liquor by mixing the vinegar, chilli, sugar, horseradish, thyme and bay leaf together in a saucepan and bring to the boil for 1 minute. Prepare a paste by mixing the cornflour, turmeric and mustard together in a bowl. Strain the pickling liquor and mix it into the paste mix, return to the boil whisking continuously for 1 minute to cook out the flour. Strain the soaked vegetables and discard any liquid, rinse well with fresh water. Remove the pickling liquor and paste from the heat and stir in the pickled vegetables. Chill the piccalilli and serve cold from the fridge. Any leftovers are best kept in an airtight jar in the fridge.

To serve, lightly toast some slices of sourdough bread. Remove the terrine from the fridge and slice into 1½ cm thick slices. Place a slice on a plate or board and serve with a large spoonful of piccalilli, lamb’s lettuce and the toasted sourdough bread.