A celebration of tradition

By Jocelyne Mansour faith and food contributor. 

I absolutely enjoy hearing the responses to my question; how do you celebrate Christmas? 

People’s eyes light up with love and excitement as they recall their family traditions, from ceremonial events, cultural customs, decorations to food preparations. Their animated expressions warm my heart as I absorb all that they say.   

Over the years I have learned that there are no hard and fast rules on traditions. Tradition pulls at your heart strings and gives you a sense of nostalgia as you recall special memories, and you appreciate the familiar repetition that gives you comfort.  A priest once said in his homily; “repetition is humanity’s way of approximating eternity”. 

In recent years I have been invited to my school friend’s Christmas party, a tradition that has been celebrated for over a decade.  

A culturally diverse bunch, Darren and Nector have been friends since kindergarten and meeting the rest of us in high school. A week or two before Christmas, we gather at one of our homes and enjoy a multi-ethnic feast.   

Tradition has been created with the absolute must-haves of Claudia’s Turkey, Poppy’s sweet potato crumble, Marcus’s pork bites, Jason’s potato bake, Darren’s glazed ham and everything else in between.  

We count our blessings as we gather around the table to enjoy an abundant festive feast. I smile as my heart fills with joy, witnessing my friends’ children share the same friendship as their parents.   

For me, it is reminiscent of the nativity scene. There in a stable was a diverse bunch, three wise men from the east, shepherds from the nearby fields coming together in rejoicing the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, with His parents.    

Coming from a Lebanese background, our Christmas table is filled with our traditional food. Around 20 years ago I decided to introduce glazed ham. At the time I was unsure how my elderly aunty and uncles would take to it, and much to my surprise it has now become our family tradition.   

Each year my Aunty Paula remembers her late husband and says to me, “your uncle Peter loved your ham Jessie, it’s the only ham he would eat.” 

So, here is my glazed ham recipe with a Lebanese twist. I hope it becomes the only ham you will eat.  

Spiced fig jam glazed ham 

Ingredients 

5- 7kg ham on the bone
2 whole oranges (quartered)
1 cup of orange juice
2 cups of water 

Glaze 

400gm fig jam
½ cup of brown sugar
½ cup of orange juice
2 tablespoons of brandy 
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon of ground cardamom
½ nutmeg seed grated
½ teaspoon of all spice 

Method 

Step 1 and 2 can be done the night before  

1. Take your ham out of the fridge an hour before baking, remove rind and your choice to score the fat or not
2. For the glaze, simply add all the ingredients in a pot and mix well bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.  If preparing the night before gently reheat prior to glazing 

When time to cook 

1. Cover the ham handle with foil not to burn. 
2. Add water and juice to baking pan and place your ham, note that the water is there to keep the ham moist and to stop the dripping from burning your pan! The liquid should just barely come up the side of the ham.  Optional place rack in baking tray and place ham on rack. 
3. Baste the ham all over with the glaze (except the handle) all over the fat, noting the bottom of the ham is not fat. Make sure to reserve glaze for basting 
4. Place in oven 160 degrees Celsius, bake for 1.5 hours basting every 25 minutes  
5. Rest the ham for 30 minutes, basting generously with any left over glaze.
6. Serve hot, warm or cold your preference and enjoy with your loved ones