Recipe - Ham And Pepper Piperade

2 pound Smoked ham hocks or smoked
pork neck
; bones
12 cup Water
2 tablespoon Minced fresh sage or 2
teaspoons dried
; rubbed sage
2 One half cup Yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoon Butter; (about)
Maple syrup

Combine smoked ham and 12 cups water in heavy large saucepan or Dutch oven.
Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until ham is very tender and cooking
liquid is reduced to 8 cups, about 1 One half hours. Transfer ham to bowl, using
slotted spoon. Cool slightly. Cut meat from bones; chop meat coarsely.

Skim fat from cooking liquid. Bring liquid to boil. Add sage. Reduce heat
to medium. Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Cook until mixture thickens,
stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Season cornmeal
mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Add chopped ham and stir vigorously
until combined. Pour mixture into two 8 One half x 4 1/2inch loaf pans.
Refrigerate ponice until set. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover with
plastic and refrigerate.)

Turn out ponice and cut into 1/2inchthick slices. Melt 1 tablespoon
butter in large skillet over mediumhigh heat. Working in batches, add
ponice and cook until brown, adding more butter as necessary, about 5
minutes per side. Serve, passing maple syrup.

Makes 2 loaves.

Bon Appetit March 1993

Converted by MC_Buster.

Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.