European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 26, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Glazed Ham for a festive dinner by Roger Modon special to stars and stripes Ham is an american favorite for easter dinner. It lends itself Well to Sweet sauces and is often served glazed with sugar an garnished with fruit such As pineapple slices. Ham is also quite popular in Europe. It was once served by Well to do British at almost every meal. In Germany Schinke Brot Ham and bread is still a common evening meal. There Are Many different kinds of Ham available in Europe. They May be distinguished in a variety of ways. Often they Are named after the Region they come from. Different regions cure their hams in different ways smoke them with different kinds of Wood and feed their pigs different food. Ham May be cured in one of two ways. Either it is soaked in brine or it is dry cured by being rubbed with Salt sugar and spices. The curing process can take several weeks. After it is cured Ham is Hung smoked and aged. At this Point the Ham is still termed  some Schinkez varieties like the German Schwarzwalde Black Forest or West Alischer westphalian and the italian prosciutto Are sliced thinly and eaten this Way. Most americans prefer cooked Ham. It is usually soaked to remove some of the Salt and then baked or boiled. Boiling a 10-Pound Ham will take 4 hours and requires a bit of work. Canned boiled Ham May not be As tasty As a fresh country Ham or one that you boil yourself but it s easy to prepare. All you have to do is heat it and it s ready to serve. You can enhance the taste by dressing it up cooking it a Little longer. Many americans like their Ham glazed. To Glaze a Ham score the fat at right angles stud it with cloves and paint it with Brown sugar mixed with water fruit juice or Dijon style Mustard. Or simply Baste with wine port or Madeira Are excellent choices. You can bake fruit such As apricots prunes or apples with the Ham. If you would like to try something different you might try this easter menu. Use canned Ham that you can bake in a crust and serve with a Champagne mushroom sauce. Add a salad potatoes and a vegetable for a festive meal for four. Ham in pie crust 4 cups flour 8 ounces butter 1/2 Teaspoon Salt 2 Tablespoons milk canned 2-Pound boiled Ham make a pie dough by mixing the flour butter Salt egg and enough milk to stiffen the dough. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Lay the Ham on the dough and fold the dough Over to wrap the Ham. Cut off extra dough. Pinch the edges closed. Grease a baking Sheet and put the Ham on it. You can Cut decorations out of the leftover dough and stick them on the Ham with a Little egg. Bake about 45 minutes. Champagne mushroom sauce fresh mushrooms 2 cups Brut Champagne 2 Tablespoons Sweet butter 2 Tablespoons flour 4 cubes of concentrated sauce enhancer in Germany they Call it brate Saft enough for Viz liter 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped Parsley White Pepper you can make this sauce with real Champagne. If you want to save Money use Blanc de Blanc. Make a White sauce thickening base by frying the flour with the butter. Add the wine slowly while stirring with a whisk to make a White Cream. Mix in the cubed sauce enhancing concentrate bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Slice the mushrooms very Fine and Fry them in a Little butter until they Are soft. Put them into the sauce. Simmer 30 minutes. Season with White Pepper and Parsley Check the Salt and it s ready to serve. Potato croquettes 1 Pound boiled potatoes % cup flour 3 egg Yolks 1 Tablespoon melted butter Viz Teaspoon Salt 1egg 2 cups bread crumbs fat for deep fat frying grate the potatoes. Mix the potatoes egg Yolks butter Salt and enough flour to get a manageable potato mixture. Form about 25 croquettes from the potatoes. Heat the Oil for deep fat frying. Beat the egg. Dip the croquettes in the egg then bread them. Drop them into hot Oil and Fry until Golden. Broccoli with butter and Lemon juice 2 pounds Broccoli Spears 2 Tablespoons butter 2 Tablespoons Lemon juice Salt Cut off the Woody parts from the Broccoli then boil in salted water for 15 minutes or More. Pour off the water. Add butter and Lemon juice and mix Well. Heat again on the stove for a minute and serve. Cucumber salad with Yogurt sauce 1 Pound cucumbers 1 cup Yogurt 2 Tablespoons Cream 1 Tablespoon vinegar Salt White Pepper 1 Tablespoon fresh Dill leaves Wash and slice the cucumbers very Fine. To make the dressing mix the Yogurt Cream Salt White Pepper vinegar and fresh Dill. Mix with the Cucumber slices and chill several hours before serving. Greek tradition Bright red easter eggs Mouth watering Pride of. Cd Mamou u Adunni cml Imo in non .,.iunited press International eggs Are already a Lovely part of easter i America yet those families who borrow agree tradition carried on by wave after wave of immigrants can add even greater color and significance to their Spring embracing observances. Many americans make the acquaintance of Bright red easter eggs at the Homes of friends of greek heritage. Not quite understanding they Are drawn into a Jolly ceremony in which each family member cracks the Point of his chosen egg against the Point of everyone else s until Only one egg is intact. The simple Joy of Victory is its own and its Only Reward along with the moving alternation of Christos Anesti Christ is risen and Plithos Anesti truly he is risen among All the smiling contestants. The red eggs usher in what is without argument the most important Celebration of the greek Calendar not to mention the seasonal rite of Spring that predates All Christian rituals. Still other americans meet the tradition during travels in Greece perhaps when a shining hot loaf of bread called Tsourekis turns up outside their guestroom door enveloping a deep Scarlet hard boiled egg. It is a marvelous Surprise and for most a warm hearted memory right up there with wine dark Aegean Waters roaring winds atop the ruins at phae Stos and glowing doorways beckoning the traveler out of darkness. The following recipes come from two of the finest greek cookery books available the Complete greek Cook by Theresa Karas Yianilos and the food of Greece by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles both published by Avenel. The books offer wonderful tradition Rich recipes surrounded by observations on the culture religion and lifestyle that created these dishes Over the centuries and keep them special in a modern age. Greek easter eggs 1 dozen or More White eggs at room temperature 1 Tablespoon Salt a cup vinegar 1 Tablespoon Scarlet paste food color or powder water to cover 1 Tablespoon Oil to polish wipe the eggs clean with a Damp cloth. If eggs Are cold place them in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes so they will not crack when placed in boiling water. If any egg does crack take it aside for some other use. Bring water and Salt to a slow boil. Mix the color in the vinegar and add to the water. Stir Well to dissolve. Place eggs gently one by one in boiling water. Simmer 40 minutes. Dry and polish with an oiled cloth. Tsourekis easter bread 1 cup milk v2 cup v4 Pound unsalted butter 1 package Active dry yeast 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar 1 Teaspoon Salt 2 eggs beaten 5 Tablespoons Orange juice 1 Tablespoon grated Orange Rind 5v2 cups sifted All purpose flour melted butter red dyed hard boiled eggs % cup slivered almonds this recipe can be used to make 2 braided loaves 13 inches Long or 2 round 9-Inch loaves. In a Small Saucepan Combine the milk and butter Over medium heat and scald. Stir until the butter melts then pour into a mixing bowl. When lukewarm Sprinkle in the yeast with the fingers or a heavy spoon gradually stir in the 1/2 cup sugar until it dissolves. Then add the Salt eggs 3 Tablespoons of the Orange juice and the Orange Rind stirring continuously and gradually add half the flour until the mixture begins to Bubble. Continue adding flour gradually by hand. The dough will be Sticky but should not be stiff. Flour your fingers lightly and knead for 15 minutes. Place the dough in a Large buttered bowl Brush with melted butter cover and place in a warm area to Rise until doubled in bulk approximately 2 to 3 hours. Punch the dough Down and Divide into two parts. Divide each half into three parts and Roll each into a Long rope about 10 by 2 inches. Braid the three ropes together. Pinch to Seal the ends if leaving Long or join together to form a round loaf. Tuck the easter eggs into the Center of the bread. After baking the eggs will be inedible but add a Lovely dash of color and tradition to your Tsourekis. Repeat with the other half of the dough to make a second Tsourekis. Place in Large baking pans or on a cookie Sheet cover and let Rise until doubled in bulk approximately 11/2 hours. Meanwhile prepare a Glaze by mixing the remaining Orange juice remaining sugar and the almonds in a Small bowl. Bake the bread in a moderately hot oven 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and with a pastry Brush Glaze the tops and sides of the loaves. Return to the oven and bake another 15 to 20 minutes until the color is a Rich and shiny Chestnut. Page 14 preparing to Shear sheep in a greek Village where red eggs Are part of easter tradition. New York times photo the stars and stripes by Nancy Harmon Jenkins new York times t traditionally the family pig was butchered at Christmas and pork cuts were cured to provide a source of meat throughout the Winter. Today pigs Are slaughtered and hams Are cured and eaten the year round. They Are popular fare for Holiday buffets from Christmas to the fourth of july but for Many people they form a traditional and obligatory Centrepiece for the easter feast. It is possible to buy a fresh Ham or leg of pork that properly cooked is delicious. However it will Seldom be As delicious As a Well cured and aged Ham. It is also possible to buy a canned Ham which is generally Salty gelatinous and More appropriate for emergency rations than for company fare. Virginia hams have been famous since the colonists brought pigs to the old world and set them free to Graze in the nearby forests. Today s pigs Are no longer just Virginia natives. They no longer Graze on acorns. They Don t even feed on the peanuts so popular with pig Farmers until the late 1960s a diet said to produce the Amber color of the fat. Yet methods of curing and smoking hams remain very much Home grown. Country style hams Are a tradition All Over the South. Each Region has its own secret spices to add to the cure its own mixture of hardwoods for the soldering smokehouse fire its own special method to age and develop the Ham. While these dry cured hams Are associated with the South hams elsewhere Are often brine cured briefly before smoking if properly done they too can be delicious. Southern country style hams Are dry cured with Salt. Raw hams Are rubbed with Salt sometimes with sugar and often sodium nitrite and stacked on Racks for 35 to 40 Days. The excess Salt is then rubbed off and the hams go through a 5-to-10-Day equalization process during which the Salt permeates the meat. Hams Are also occasionally rubbed with a mixture of Salt and sugar then placed in vats. The juices that run out become a part of the cure. Another method less appreciated by connoisseurs is the brine cure in which the meat is placed in a vat filled with curing brine. Once curing is finished dry cured hams Are washed and Hung in smokehouse to dry thoroughly before smoking Over a soldering fire of fragrant Hardwood logs and sawdust. Hickory Apple mahogany and Corncob Are used. Smoked hams Are Hung in a dry chamber to age for three months to a year or More. Smithfield hams Are aged the longest up to 14 months through enzyme changes aging develops the meat s flavor and texture. The longer the Ham Ages the drier and saltier it will be. Most hams Are still cured with sodium nitrate or nitrite which reacts with the pigment in meat to give cured pork products their characteristic Bright Rosy color. According to Many authorities the chemical also keeps meat fat from oxidizing and has an antibacterial function preventing botulism. Nitrate is converted to nitrite by the bacteria in meat. And that s the problem. During cooking nitrite Ham is a multimillion Dollar Industry in Virginia. Combines with other elements to form nitrosamine potent carcinogens. Some studies have suggested that nitrite itself is carcinogenic and several consumer groups have called for reductions in Levels or an outright ban. According to specialists in the safety and inspection Section of the . Department of agriculture nitrosamine Are created at High temperatures above 350" degrees. Since the temperature of boiled or baked Ham does t go above 190 degrees according to Hedy Ohringer a Public affairs specialist with the department nitrosamine formation is not a problem with hams. By their nature hams Are Salty and cannot be recommended for anyone on a Low Salt diet. Soaking the Ham removes much of the Salt but not enough for those who Are concerned for medical reasons about their Salt intake. For people on a restricted sodium diet a so called fresh Ham which is really uncured leg of pork can be prepared without Salt. Fresh lean pork has 79 milligrams of sodium per four ounce cooked serving. Salt cured country hams must be scrubbed and soaked before being cooked. Scrubbing under warm running water with a bristle Brush removes surface Mold Salt and material left Over from smoking. While some cooking directions suggest baking a Salt cured country Ham gentle boiling is the most appropriate method. Other types of hams however Are much better baked in a 300-degree oven. Place the Ham on a rack in the baking pan and cover with heavy duty aluminium foil bake allowing approximately 15 minutes to the Pound or until the Ham has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Ham does not need a final glazing but will look More appetizing with a Crisp Brown crust. Sweet glazes have not always been the Rule. Like any roast Ham is better and easier to carve if left to stand for 20 to 30 minutes after it is removed from the oven. Indeed Ham is one of those meats that is better at room temperature than piping hot. Most country carers suggest making a vertical Cut at the Hock end then carving Diagonal slices using the Hock As a handle and cutting toward that Bone. Or Start at the butt end and slice thinly. Cold Ham Well wrapped to keep it from drying out can be kept refrigerated for 10 Days or so to provide snacks. Fried slices of Ham Are an excellent substitute for Bacon. Chopped Ham can be added to souffles and ome lets or used to Garnish vegetables such As spinach Green Beans or Broccoli. Or make a hash with chopped onions Green peppers and potatoes. Do not discard the Ham Bone. Those comforting Ham based soups of Winter bean split pea or lentil can be equally heartwarming on a Chilly Spring Day. Wednesday March 26, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 15