I often keep old Christmas cards, and sometimes the gently-used ribbons and bows, too.
But one thing I make a point never to discard is something all together different.
Bones.
From the Thanksgiving turkey. From the Christmas ham.
They are always wrapped carefully with aluminum foil, then tucked inside a heavy-duty plastic bag in a safe place in my freezer.
Until January.
That’s when I take them out for their intended purpose, one that I look forward to every year after the holiday season.
It’s makes me feel as if my mother is still with me and enjoying this time-honored ritual together as we did for so many years, but of course as is always the case, not nearly enough in the end.
I make her rice porridge, just as she used to do for her family. Yes, the nourishing, comforting, restorative Chinese congee also known as jook that would take her hours to make.
Those bones go into a large stockpot with broth and water to simmer, before rice is added. It’s all cooked slowly, bubbling away gently, until the starch releases, thickening the broth, and breaking down the grains until rice and soup become one.
On a winter evening, there’s nothing better.
Oh, sure, it can be made at other times of the year, too.
But there’s something about using the remains of the holiday feasts that gives it another distinctive dimension. It’s the taste of one year — in all its glorious ups and downs and memories — stirred together seamlessly into the new year full of all the possibilities to come. How can any spoonful be more delicious than that?
Well, this year it just might, because the kind folks at Snake River Farms sent me a sample of their Kurobuta whole bone-in ham ($179) that’s made from 100 percent purebred Berkshire pork raised without hormones. This massive cut weighs in at 14 to 18 pounds.
Smoked over hardwood chips, it is smoky, porky sweet, rich in flavor, and bursting with juice. There’s a luscious fat cap around it, too, that gets crispy on the edges. From the very first bite, you know this is ham on a whole ‘nother level.
It’s shipped frozen, so you do have to allow for it to defrost — about a week in the fridge, or you can help it along by submerging it repeatedly in cold water baths until it isn’t iceberg-like anymore.
My husband cooked it in his Big Green Egg without any other adornment. Sure, you can brush it with a glaze, but it really needs nothing else to let its porcine goodness shine.
It’s enough for many — many— meals. And after we were done, we carefully wrapped up that big ham bone for the precious ritual that’s yet to come.
CONTEST: One lucky Food Gal reader will win a free Snake River Farms Kurobuta whole bone-in ham for the holidays.
Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be taken through midnight PST Dec. 12. The winner will be announced Dec. 14
How to win?
Just tell me what you make a point to save during the holidays — and why. You’ve already read mine. Now, I want to hear yours. Best answer wins.
More: My Recipe For Jook