Jerk ham hock buns with celeriac chips and crunchy salad
Meat mains
Jerk ham hock buns with celeriac chips and crunchy salad
A perfect ham hock takes some lengthy brining, soaking and cooking, or you can just add it to your veg box order, and just administer the final touches! This jerk seasoning is our take on a Jamaican classic. It is traditionally made with Scotch bonnet chillies. We tried growing these last year and they certainly packed a punch, but we've mellowed things slightly here with some dried chillies. The amount in the recipe still tingles the tongue, so add it cautiously and increase to your taste.
Cook's notes
When peeling your celeriac a sharp knife is often more convenient than a peeler as the root can be gnarled.
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 1 celeriac
- oil for frying, e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 1 fennel bulb
- 1 apple
- 50g salad leaves
- 1 red onion
- 1 PACK ham hock
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- POT OF jerk spice seasoning
- (¼ tsp each of allspice,
- nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger,
- smoked paprika)
- 2 wholemeal rolls
- 1 tbsp coarse grain mustard
- 40g mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp mixed seeds
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 6. Juice the lemon. Remove the skin from the celeriac (see cook's note). Chop into 1-1½ cm thick slices, then into 1cm chips. Toss the celeriac chips with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of oil and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Transfer to a non-stick baking tray. Pop them in the oven for 30 minutes or so, until tender and starting to colour.
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Step 2
It's worth tossing them once as they cook, so they bake evenly. While the chips cook, trim away any tough stalk tops from the fennel. Cut it into quarter's and cut out the solid root core from each. Slice each quarter into 3 generous wedges. Wash the apple, cut into quarter's and cut out the core.
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Step 3
Chop into chunky dice. Mix the fennel and apple together in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Season lightly with a pinch of salt. Wash and drain the salad leaves. Spin, shake or pat them dry. Peel the red onion and finely slice it. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the frying pan.
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Step 4
Add the onion and gently cook for 10 minutes, until starting to colour and soften, adding a dash of water if it starts to stick. Shred the ham hock into the frying pan and turn up the heat. Fry for 3-4 minutes until the hock starts to colour and crisp. Add ½ the chilli flakes and jerk seasoning to the hock and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, mixing well and moving often. While the ham hock cooks, split the bread rolls in half and pop them in the oven for 3 minutes to warm through.
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Step 5
Mix the mustard with the mayonnaise. Taste the ham hock and add more flaked chilli if you want to increase the heat. Slather a blob of mustard mayo into the warm rolls, pile in the jerk ham hock and finish with a pinch of salad leaves. Mix the remaining salad leaves with the fennel, apple and mixed seeds. Serve alongside the rolls, hot celeriac chips and remaining mayo.
