The Christmas Ham- A Filipino Tradition

Nothing says Christmas like a delicious Christmas ham on the table at noche buena. While the ham-hamon as it is locally called- originated in the west, Filipinos have whole-heartedly embraced it; adjusting and cooking it to suit the Filipino palate–making it a part of Filipino Christmas tradition.

Here is a very simple ham recipe that is truly Filipino in taste. Below are two simple methods for cooking the ham: baking and pan-frying.

Pineapple Glazed Ham

Ingredients:

Christmas ham of your choice (cooked/ready to eat)
Pineapple juice
Pineapple marmalade
sugar, to taste
Canned pineapple slices, drained (optional, for garnishing)
Cherries(optional, for garnishing)

Method 1:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. In a saucepan, combine pineapple marmalade and pineapple juice and simmer until it has thickened and slightly reduced. Adjust sweetness by adding sugar. This will be your glaze.

Place ham in an oven proof baking dish or roasting pan. Pour glaze on top. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes per pound. Allow the glaze to darken and slightly caramelize.

Allow to slightly cool before slicing. Serve warm.

Method 2:

Slice ham into thin slices. In a shallow frying pan, combine marmalade and juice and allow to simmer. put in ham slices and cook until pineapple mixture has been reduced and ham has caramelized. Serve warm.

TIP: You may substitute orange marmalade and orange juice for the pineapple juice and marmalade. A very simple thing I do with ham is just slice it and then pan fry it with a little brown sugar.