At Enrique Tomás, we have a motto: "From the pig, use everything." So, if you don't want to waste anything and you're trying to figure out how to make the most of a ham bone, here are some ideas.

With these dishes, you'll treat yourself!

Preparations with a Ham Bone

Ham is an excellent flavor enhancer, and its fat is practically encapsulated oil. Thanks to this ingredient, your dishes will be filled with nuances, and aware of this, the best Spanish chefs have created their versions of dishes with ham.

In the case of the bone, the first thing to consider is that it's essential to have the necessary tools to extract it. Still, if you don't have them, there's no problem. You can order our "No Te Cortes" packs that come with the best slices as well as the bone of the piece diced. Alternatively, you can bring your ham or shoulder to any of our stores, and we will cut and prepare it in pieces between eight and ten centimeters thick. Once you have them vacuum-sealed, you can freeze them, and just take them out a couple of hours before using them from the refrigerator.

That said, let's see two of the best dishes to make the most of the ham bone:

Ham Bone Stew

Stew is a very typical dish in our cuisine, but it's made differently in each region. Below, we'll look at one of the most popular versions: the Madrid-style stew.

Ingredients

For four people:

• 3 liters of water
• 400g of canned chickpeas
• 3 carrots
• 1 turnip
• 2 potatoes
• ½ cabbage
• 2 leeks
• 700g of beef stew meat
• 1 ham bone
• 1 beef bone
• 2 marrow bones
• 1 chicken carcass
• 1 hen breast
• 1 piece of bacon
• 2 small chorizos
• 800g of fine noodles
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
  
  

Preparation

1. Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Use this time to clean the bones, all the meat, and the vegetables, which you need to peel. As soon as the water reaches boiling temperature, add all the bones, meat, and chickpeas to the pot and let it all cook for two hours. Remove the foam that appears on the surface using a skimmer.
   
   
2. After this time, add all the vegetables that you washed and peeled earlier to the pot and let everything cook together for another thirty minutes.
   
   
3. Your Madrid-style stew will be ready by now. But to serve it as the traditional recipe indicates, follow these guidelines. First, place the vegetables in one dish and the meat in another; you can discard the bones. As for the broth, take it out of the pot, and you only need to use one liter; you can freeze the rest as soon as it cools for future preparations.
   
   
4. So, put the liter you set aside back into the pot and add the noodles. They will be ready in ten minutes. All you have to do now is serve the noodles and then the two dishes with the meat and vegetables.
   
   You'll love your menu today!

Ham and Vegetable Broth

It's normal that during the winter months, all you can think about is how to make a good broth with a ham bone to warm up, and today, you're in luck!

At Enrique Tomás, we're going to explain it to you!

Ingredients

For four people:

• 2 ham bones
• 300g of Iberian ham shavings
• 2.5 liters of water
• 3 large potatoes
• 4 carrots
• 1 leek
• Salt
• 4 eggs
• 800g of fine noodles
• Rosemary
• Oregano
  
  

Preparation

1. The first thing you need to do is bring a pot of water to a boil. While you wait, take the opportunity to wash and peel the potatoes and carrots. Rinse the leek as well as the rosemary.
   
   
2. If the water has already reached the desired temperature, add everything you prepared to the pot, including the ham bones and a pinch of oregano and salt. Let it all cook for one hour.
   
   
3. After this time, put another pot of water on the stove, and as soon as it boils, put the eggs in and leave them for fifteen minutes. Once this time has passed, take them out and put them in cold water.
   
   
4. If your broth is ready, remove all the ingredients from the pot using a strainer, except for the carrots and potatoes. Add the noodles to the pot now. Leave it all on medium heat for five minutes, and when that time is up, all you have to do is serve the broth in the bowls.
   
   
5. Finally, peel the eggs, cut them in half, and place each one on the plates along with the ham shavings. 
   
   Your broth is ready!

As you can see, knowing how to make the most of a ham bone is very easy, so you have no excuse. If the best chefs do it, why shouldn't you? Throw it in the trash? Absolutely not! It will give these dishes the touch they need!

And if you're wondering how to get ham bones, at Enrique Tomás, we make it easy for you: the next time you order your ham leg, don't hesitate to ask for the carving service, whether it's ham or shoulder, and enjoy the sliced packets, shavings, cubes, and a tray of sliced bones, perfect for preparing these and other recipes. If not, just order any of our No Te Cortes packs.

Let yourself be enchanted by our finest Iberian hams, and make the most of everything!