Hot ham and peas with parsley-mustard sauce recipe 1 tsp olive oil 2 tbsp crème fraîche 1 smoked hock or small (500g) piece of smoked gammon, soaked for 1 hour in cold water 1 star anise or a few mixed peppercorns 2 tbsp butter or olive oil 1 shallot, chopped 200ml stock - chicken, ham or vegetable 400g petits pois (defrosted frozen is fine) Mix all the sauce ingredients together, season with a little salt and white pepper, and set aside. Put the hock or ham in a pan with the star anise or peppercorns and cover with water. Bring to the boil and turn down to a very slow simmer. Leave to cook for one to one and a half hours until the meat is tender and parts easily with a fork. Remove from the heat and discard the liquid and spices. Remove any fat, gristle and bone so you are left only with chunks of meat. Pull them apart into bitesize chunks. This dish is less appealing if the ham is diced with a knife. Heat the oil or butter in a frying-pan and sauté the ham until it is lightly coloured. Remove from the pan and set aside in a warm serving dish. Add the shallot to the fat in the pan and cook until soft, add the stock and bring to the boil before adding the peas. Cook the peas for just a minute, then heap the contents of the pan over the ham in the serving dish. Spoon over the sauce and serve. Boiled young potatoes will bulk out this dish for hungry people.