Iberico ham with Jerusalem artichoke and olive oil mayonnaise #175

Iberico ham is the luxurious type of Spanish Serrano ham. It is made from a special breed of pigs called Iberico that is also known as the black Iberico. The ham or Jamon as it is called in Spain is therefore called Jamon Iberico but is also known as Pata Negra. 

I have used the standard version of the ham, if you want the best one you need to get an Jamon Iberico de Bellota, then the pigs are free-range and fed loads of acorn that flavors the meat. Usually the ham is cured for a longer time as well. If you want to know more about the different variations of Spanish ham then Wikipedia has a short but good post on Iberico ham. 

Now for some cooking, as long as the ham go you should use a Iberico one since it has more fat that is one of the key elements in this dish. I serve the ham at room temperature with deep fried Jerusalem artichokes and a olive oil mayonnaise. The Jerusalem artichokes gives a little bit of texture as well as paring really good with the intense ham flavor. 

The olive oil mayonnaise make the dish a bit more moist and the taste of olive oil mayonnaise i great in a small dish like this. Use a mild olive oil, if it is to intense it will be to powerful, if the oil you have is to intense you can replace half of the amount of oil with a neutral vegetable oil. As the dish is quite fatty you won´t need to serve very much, that will be a relief when it´s time to pay for the ham, on slice or two for each serving is enough.

Iberico ham with Jerusalem artichoke and olive oil mayonnaise

Iberico ham

egg yolk

Dijon mustard

red wine vinegar

salt, pepper

olive oil

Jerusalem artichokes

vegetable oil for deep frying

Whisk the egg yolk with the vinegar and egg yolk, start adding the oil during whisking until it starts to thicken. Add salt and pepper and then the rest of the oil until you are satisfied with the thickness. I use about half a teaspoon of mustard and about 1dl / 0,4 cups of oil for one egg yolk.

Wash and slice the Jerusalem artichoke as thin as you can, a potato peeler works good unless the artichokes are too big. Rinse the slices in cold water and the pad dry with kitchen paper. Deep fry on medium heat until crisp, season with salt.

Add the Iberico ham to a plate and add the mayonnaise and fried artichokes, add a little bit of salt if necessary, serve. Good luck.

Chantarelles with bleak roe and Jerusalem artichoke cream #119

When I was making the two previous posts I ended up with some leftovers and decided to try to combine them and it worked way better than expected. Fresh fried chantarells with a creamy puré of Jerusalem artichokes and some bleak roe turned out to be a great combination.

Chantarelles with bleak roe and Jerusalem artichoke cream

chanterelles

Jerusalem artichokes

cream

chives

butter

salt, pepper

white wine

shallots

Peel the artichokes and the shallots and fry them on medium heat in a pan for a few minutes, add salt, pepper and white wine and bring to a boil. Add water and some cream and let the artichokes simmer until cooked through. Once done remove the liquid and set aside and the blend the artichokes to a smooth puree. If it get´s to thick then thin it with the liquid.

Fry the chanterelles in butter and season with salt and pepper. Serve the artichoke cream with the bleak roe and the chanterelles, when serving add some sliced chives.

Jerusalem artichoke soup with parsnips & salami #118

Jerusalem artichokes are in full season and probably the most classic way to serve them is to make a soup, so let´s keep it simple and do just that. If you are serving it as an tapa I recommend serving it in a cup or smaller plate than in my photos.

I used some left over salami that I fried with some parsnips and onion for this recipe but bacon or pork are great as well so feel free to replace the salami with that.

Jerusalem artichoke soup with parsnips & salami

Jerusalem artichokes
cream
water
garlic
butter
shallot onion
white wine
parsnips
salami
chives
olive oil

Peel the artichokes and put in cold water with some lemon juice, this will keep the artichokes from going brown. Chop the garlic and shallots and fry them until soft with the butter, add the artichokes and fry them for a few minutes without browning.

Add salt, pepper and white wine let the wine reduce until half is left and the cover with water and simmer until the artichokes are cooked through. Add some cream and bring to a boil and then blend the soup until completely smooth. Season with salt, pepper and a splash of olive oil. Adjust the thickness and creaminess with water and cream if necessary.

Peel and dice the parsnip, dice the salami and slice the chives. Roast the diced parsnip in some butter, remove from heat and combine with the salami and chives. Serve the soup with the parsnip and salami mix and a few drops of olive oil. Good luck.