Full question
In some of Nigella's recipes, for example the Slow-Cooked Black Treacle Ham, she don't use any salt. It seems a little bit odd and I wondered why? Also for the slow-cooked ham I’d like to know if there is a replacement for the black treacle, because this ingredient isn’t easy to find in my country.
My family and I are huge fans and in some of the older TV shows Nigella uses her own cooking utensils. It was possible to buy them, even where I live in in Poland, but now they aren't available. I'm visiting London soon and wondered if they are available in the UK?
Our answer
Nigella's Slow-Cooked Black Treacle Ham (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) uses a gammon ham. This is a leg of pork that has been cured (preserved) with salt, but is sold uncooked. As it is cured it is already salty enough for most tastes, so doesn't need extra salt. For other recipes Nigella doesn't always specify the amount of salt needed for seasoning as she feels that it is very much a matter of personal taste and people should season food according to their own preferences. Molasses are very similar to black treacle and you can use molasses instead of treacle in the recipe. Unfortunately gammon hams can be difficult to find outside of the UK and a pork leg won't really work for this recipe, but you can buy a whole cooked ham (not one that has been pre-sliced) and heat it in the oven following the instructions that come with the ham. When the ham has been reheated, glaze it following steps 6 and 7 in the recipe.
Unfortunately Nigella's Living Kitchen range has been discontinued. However, if you are visiting London then you will find a wide range of kitchen utensils in several department stores and kitchenware stores, such as John Lewis and Lakeland.
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