Ham steaks with peppered pineapple

I am not a fan of ham and pineapple, on a pizza or anywhere else, unless the combination has been given some spice or sharpness. In this I do both, using vinegar and pepper to create a yin–yang effect on the tongue. If you have canned pineapple and some kind of compressed or cheap ham, cook something else.

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 thick ham steaks from good leg ham, cut from the bone
• 2–4 slices fresh pineapple, peeled, cut into approx 2 cm–thick slices and cut into semicircles (or quarters, depending on the size of the pineapple)
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp freshly crushed black peppercorns

Instructions

Cook the steaks as you like them (a chargrill is good), ideally to brown a little on either side.

Pop the pineapple into a well-seasoned frying pan with a little oil and cook over a medium heat until starting to colour a little on each side.

Add the brown sugar to the pan and allow to melt and caramelise, then add the vinegar and olive oil, and evenly sprinkle with the pepper.  Allow to heat through to flavour the pineapple.

Serve the ham with the pungent pineapple on top as a foil for its richness.

Also try Matthew Evans' marmalade and cider-glazed ham.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.