Name: Fresh Ham Cooked with Hay (Буженина)
Yield: About 20 Servings
Cuisine: Russia
Ingredients: 1 gallon Black Bread Kvass or dark beer; 1½ tablespoons Russian-Style Mustard; ¼ cup dark brown sugar; 2 bay leaves; 2 onions, quartered; 4 teaspoons crushed dried thyme; 1 fresh ham (12 to 14 pounds); 2 dozen black peppercorns; 1 large carrot, scraped and cut into chunks; 1 parsley root, peeled and coarsely chopped; 16 allspice berries; 4 large handfuls of hay

Preparation info

About
20
Servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

A Taste of Russia

By Darra Goldstein

Published 1983

About

Hay may be obtained from local stables or farms, but if it is not available, then simply skip the first steps involving hay, though the boiled meat will lose a certain subtlety of flavor. A “must” for the Easter table!

Ingredients

1 fresh ham (12 to 14 pounds)
4 large handfuls of hay

Method

Rinse the meat. Place it in a very large stockpot with the hay and enough cold water to fill the pot. Bring the water to a rolling boil, then remove the pot from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Return the pot to the heat and bring to a new boil, then let stand off the heat for 15 minutes more.

Repeat this procedure one more time, bringing the water to a boil a third time. This ti