Stirring Slowly by Georgina Hayden

Author:Georgina Hayden
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781473524149
Publisher: Random House

HAM HOCKS, FENNEL AND BEANS

This is my ideal way of cooking: little prep, hours in the oven and a delicious and comforting result. And if you can bear it, make sure there are leftovers, as it’s even better the next day.

SERVES 6–8

400g dried borlotti, flageolet or cannellini beans

2 gammon hocks, around 750g each, skin removed (get your butcher to do this for you)

1½ tablespoons fennel seeds

1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1 whole bulb of garlic

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme

olive oil

2 bulbs of fennel

2 fresh bay leaves

175ml white wine

a splash of white wine vinegar

½ a bunch of flat-leaf parsley

Make sure you remember to start this dish the night before. You’ll need to soak the beans in plenty of cold water to soften them, and soak the ham hocks to get rid of all the excess salt, leaving them overnight in the fridge.

Preheat your oven to 170°C/gas 3.

In a mortar and pestle, bash the fennel seeds and chilli flakes to a coarse powder. Peel 4 of the garlic cloves and add, along with a good pinch of salt. Pick the rosemary and thyme leaves and add to the mortar, then bash everything together until you have a thick paste. Muddle in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to loosen, then, using a paring knife, slice a few pockets in the ham hocks and rub the paste all over. Leave to one side.

Trim the fennel bulbs and cut them into wedges about 2cm thick, then place in a large casserole dish or ovenproof saucepan. Add the drained soaked beans, bay leaves, remaining unpeeled garlic cloves and wine. Place the pot on a high heat and bring the wine to the boil, then cook it rapidly for 4–5 minutes, until almost all the wine is cooked away. Add enough water to just cover the beans and bring everything to the boil. Pop the coated ham hocks (and any leftover garlic herb rub) into the dish and cover with the lid. Place in the preheated oven for around 4 hours, or until the ham is tender and pulls away from the bone. Baste the meat a couple of times during cooking, and add a splash of boiling water if it looks like the beans are drying out – you want them to be creamy and soft.

When the pork is cooked, remove the lid and drizzle with a little olive oil, then pop the pot back into the oven uncovered. Turn the heat up to 200°C/gas 6 and cook for a further 20 minutes, so the hocks get a little crispy. When they’re ready, finish the beans with a splash of white wine vinegar and season to taste. Pick and chop the parsley leaves and stir through the beans. I like to shred the meat into the beans and serve, or alternatively transfer it to a platter and let everyone dig in.

Ham Hocks, Fennel and Beans

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