I got the idea for this dish from Yotam Ottolenghi who has a very good recipe for Roast gammon with sticky pineapple salad. Instead of using pineapple juice, I opted for fermented pineapple and ginger which added a more tangy taste to the dish.
This dish consists out of three components: The fermented sauce, the gammon and the sticky pineapple salad / salsa.
The Fermented Sauce
You will need the following ingredients to create the fermented sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 ripe pineapples, peeled and cut into chunks
- 125g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
Method
Liquidize the pineapple and the ginger and ferment for at least 14 days in a glass or ceramic jar. If you have another fermentation project going, add a tablespoon of that juice to the pineapple and ginger mix to speed up the process. Remember to “burb” the jar on a daily basis to release the gas.
The Gammon
You will need the following to prepare the gammon.
Ingredients
- The fermented sauce
- 1 boneless smoked gammon (the original recipe calls for an unsmoked gammon)
- 4 lemongrass sticks, smashed
- 100g palm sugar, grated
- 1 big red chilli, de-seeded and cut into slices
- 8 cloves
- 2 star anise
- 5cm cinnamon stick
- 2 allspice berries
- 500ml quality pork / chicken stock
- 500ml water
Method
I prepared this over an open fire, but it can easily be done on a stove or in an oven.
Heat up a large, heavy pot (which has a lid) and add the lemongrass, palm sugar, chilli, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, allspice, stock and water. Bring to a boil and dissolve the palm sugar.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the gammon. Cover the pot and let the gammon simmer for 45 minutes on a side i.e. a total of 90 minutes.
Remove the gammon and set it aside. Strain the liquid and then return it to the pot.
Simmer for another 45 minutes uncovered, to reduce the liquid.
Lower the gammon back in the pot. Cover the gammon with the sauce, put the lid back on and add coals on top of the lid. Leave for 30 minutes. (If you are not doing this over an open fire, put the pot in a oven preheated at 200°C for 25 minutes)
Remove the gammon from the pot, wrap it in foil and leave to rest.
The Pineapple Salsa
You will need the following ingredients for the sticky salsa.
Ingredients
- 150ml of the gammon sauce
- 1 ripe pineapple, peeled and cut into 2cm x 2cm chunks
- 1/2 large cucumber, peeled and seeds removed, cut into 2cm x 2cm chunks
- 1 cup of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 2 limes, 1 cut into wedges and 1 juiced
Method
Fry the pineapple in a pan for 5 minutes, add the gammon sauce, stir and then let it cool down.
Stir in the cucumber, coriander and lime juice.
Bringing It Together
Serve the gammon warm or at room temperature. Cut it into 1.5 cm slices, add some of the gammon sauce on top and serve with the pineapple salsa and lime wedges.
We enjoyed this with a 2018 Mischa Roussanne. Here are the tasting notes for the 2022 vintage.
