Braised Ham

Braising allows a partly cooked (“tenderized” in supermarket parlance) ham an opportunity to pick up some much-needed flavor, supplied by wine, vegetables, and herbs. Old American and English cookbooks recommend simmering the ham in cider—but they were discussing country-cured aged ham and strong, hard cider, which has nothing to do with the pasteurized apple juice we now call “cider.” But if you can buy some unsweetened, unpasteurized cider from a farmer, keep it in a cool place for