Glazed Cottage Ham Roll

 

I was thinking about my mom and some of the meals she would throw together impromptu when needing to feed unexpected company. My dad being a chef was usually at the hotel cooking which made for a long day for him and he took over if needed when he got home. My mom or grandmother would do most the home cooking. It was here that I was shown how to put a farm family hearty meager meal together. A good pork cottage roll was always available and would hang in our cold storage getting tastier with age.

It’s hard these days to find a good brined and smoked shoulder cut cottage roll. Before all you had to do was go anywhere close in Waterloo County Markets and the hand cut and natural smoked cottage rolls were low sodium and the perfect ratio of fat to meat.

I just found lots of choices at the St. Jacobs farm country market. The Old Ordre Mennonites farmers/owner operators of area  general store came from all over southern Ontario bringing their good old fashioned recipes and pork/beef/chicken’s all grown on the next door farms. They make natural cold cuts and sausages and have a cheese selection that showcases unpasteurised and artisan local cheeses that are cracking good!

I saw this nice 3 lb cottage roll and saw that the label read natural smoked and made in house. Perfect for a great retro meal just like my mom would make.

(3 lb) cottage roll

1 large onion, halved

3 carrots, peeled and trimmed

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon peppercorn

1/2-1 head cabbage or sauerkraut cabbage

Glaze

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup of Coleman’s mustard

1 tablespoon brown sugar to add dark colour and sugar charring.

Directions: Put cottage roll in large pot or dutch oven; add onion, carrots, bay leaves, and peppercorns.

Cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, depending on the size of the roast.

Remove meat from liquid and place in a baking pan; brush with honey mustard and brown sugar mixed to a paste. Reserve the liquid to cook the cabbage. Place roast in the oven, just on “warm” while you cook the cabbage. Turn to broil just before serving to add some charring and flavours before cutting.

Thinly slice the cabbage and cook in the liquid that the roast was in for approximately 10 to 15 minutes until desired tenderness. Good served with boiled new potatoes, carrots or sweet potato and some nice dark rye bread.

Pass the wine! Let’s Eat.

thekitchenman