Meat Aspic or Kholodets is another traditional vintage dish for various eastern european countries. It represents a simple healthy broth cooked from parts of meat which is then cooled down to jellify.
Most recipes call for adding a pack of gelatin to jellify the broth, but I like my kholodets the old-fashioned, natural way by simply boiling pieces of meat for a while. To get enough gelatin from the meat, you need to use parts that contain lots of collagen, such as pork feet, tail or ears, and boil them in water for a very long time. And I do mean a long time. At least 5 hours long of slow simmering. The long and and slow process will extract all the collagen from the connective tissues and will break it down into gelatin. When the gelatin is cooled down, it will jellify the dish.
Given the long cooking time, this is probably not one of the quick weekday evening kind of recipes. I had to do it on a weekend, but your stove will be doing most of the work, so don’t be afraid to try it.
I have to admit, meat aspic is not a fancy name for a dish. In fact, most people, who are not used to eating this, usually get freaked out by the meat jelly. However, when you’ve grown up to your grandma making it and eating kholodets since you were little, which would include all children of the former USSR, you love kholodets and it is a must-have for almost every holiday celebration in eastern european household.
Ingredients:
1 pork foot
2 chicken leg quarters
2 pork chops
1 onion
1 carrot
whole medium garlic
1/4 cup salt
2 tbsp pepper corns
few bay leaves
In the large soup pot add meat, onion, carrot, bay leaves, spices and cover everything with water. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 hours, skimming off any foam and fat that rises to the top of the pot. 15 minutes before it’s done, add minced garlic.
Turn off the heat, remove meat and filter broth through paper towels. Let it cool.
Once cooled, separate meat from the bones and shred it. Spread the meat on the bottom of your serving dishes. I used silicone muffin cups this time, but medium glass containers with lids work great as well. Pour broth over the meat and refrigerate until firm (usually overnight).
Serve with freshly-grated horseradish, Adjika or mustard.
- 1 pork foot
- 2 chicken leg quarters
- 2 pork chops
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- whole medium garlic
- 1/4 cup salt
- 2 tbsp pepper corns
- few bay leaves
- In the large soup pot add meat, onion, carrot, bay leaves, spices and cover everything with water.
- Set over high heat and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 hours, skimming off any foam and fat that rises to the top of the pot.
- minutes before it’s done, add minced garlic.
- Turn off the heat, remove meat and filter broth through paper towels. Let it cool.
- Once cooled, separate meat from the bones and shred it.
- Spread the meat on the bottom of your serving dishes. I used silicone muffin cups, but medium glass containers with lids work great as well.
- Pour broth over the meat and refrigerate until firm (usually overnight).
- Serve with freshly-grated horseradish, Adjika or mustard.
hello! looks like a yummy recipe, but are you sure about the 1/4 cup of salt?
Eu faço fica deliciosa. Podem encomendar.