Braised Ham and Spinach en Croute
List of Ingredients
Ham
5 lb. Canned ham, preferably Polish
1 T unsalted butter
1 T veg. Oil
1 large garlic clove
2 med. Onions
2 med. Carrots
2 celery stalk
4 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups dry white wine
freshly ground pepper
Madiera Sauce
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 T all purpose flour
3 T Madiera
Stuffing
1 ½ pounds fresh spinach with stems, thoroughly rinsed (do not dry)
2 oz. mozzarella cheese
2 slices firm white bread crumbled
4 green oniions including green tops, cut into 1 inch pieces
½ cup parsley leaves
2 eggs
1 egg white
1 T fresh lemon juice
½ t. Dijon mustard
½ t. freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground pepper
Glaze
1 egg
½ t. salt
Pastry (I cheated and used 2 pkgs. Pillsbury crescent roll dough)
1 egg yolk
1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 6 pieces
2 T vegetable shortening chilled
7 T ice water
1 t. salt
1/8 t. sugar
2 cups unbleached flour
Recipe
For ham (can be done up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated):
Pat ham dry. Heat butter and oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ham and brown on all sides, 8-10 min. Remove ham; set Dutch oven aside. Finely chop garlic, onions, carrots and celery. Add to Dutch oven. Place over med. Heat until veggies soft. Add ham, parsley, bay leaf, stock, wine and pepper. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until ham is tender (1 ½ hours)
Remove ham from liquid and wrap tightly in foil. Strain veggies (reserve liquid) and puree. Skim any fat from liquid. Return liquid to Dutch oven and stir in puree. Place over med. Heat and cook until reduced (30 min).
For sauce (can be prepared ahead and refrigerated; reheat just before serving):
Combine butter and flour in small bowl and blend to paste. Transfer 2 cups reduced puree mixture to med. Saucepan. Whisk in flour mixture a little at a time, beating constantly until sauce is thick enough to coat spoon. Stir in Madiera. Taste and adjust seasoning.
For stuffing (can be prepared 2 days ahead):
Cook spinach in heavy large saucepan over high heat, turning frequently with wooden spoon until leaves are wilted about 4 min. Transfer to colander and run under cold water until cool. Drain well. Wrap spinach in cloth towel and twist to remove as much moisture as possible.
Finely chop Mozzarella. Combine with bread. Place spinach, green onion, parsley, eggs, egg white, lemon juice, mustard, nutmeg and pepper in food processor. Mix using 4 on/off turns then puree. Add cheese and crumbs and combine using 4 on/off turns. Cover and refrigerate.
For glaze:
Beat eggs and salt and refrigerate until ready to use.
For pastry
Combine all ingredients in processor except flour using 5 on/off turns. Mix 5 sec. Add flour and blend until dough begins to mass together. Do not overprocess. Transfer dough and any scraps to plastic bag. Press dough into ball, then flatten into disc. Chill, preferably overnight.
To assemble (can be prepared ahead; tent with foil and refrigerate):
Cut ham horizontally into 1/3” slices, keeping slice in order. Spread 1/8 inch stuffing on bottom og ham slice. Repeat with remaining slices; do not spread stuffing over top. Reassemble ham on rack set on baking sheet.
Roll dough out on lightly floured surface into circle 1/8 inch thick. Drape over ham, carefully tucking ½ inch of dough underneath. Trim off excess and reserve. Brush covering lightly with glaze. Roll out reserved dough and cut into decorations (leaves, flowers) and arrange over top. Brush lightly with glaze.
To serve:
Remove ham from refrigerator 1-2 hours before baking. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400. Bake until pastry is browned and ham is heated through, about 20 min
Serves 12
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