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Holodets (Meat Jelly)

A traditional festive and beloved dish. No big holiday, especially New Year and Christmas, is complete without holodets. In Russia, in the Urals, this dish is called "studen" or simply "zalivnoe," in Ukraine - it is "kholodne" and is mainly cooked from pork. In fact, there are many recipes, each hostess has their own, some cooks make holodets specifically from beef (hooves, shin, head), some from chicken, some from pork with the addition of chicken, etc. Here, I offer a holodets recipe that I make every Christmas. Give it a try...!

Pork Meat

1 pig's shin and 2 pig's feet

Beef

2 lb 12 oz (meat)

Carrots

1 pc.

Black Peppercorns

8-10 pcs. (whole)

Black Pepper

ground, to taste

Bay Leaves

2 pcs.

Onion

1 pc.

Salt

Parsley

Dill

To prepare holodets, thoroughly clean pig's feet and shin from bristles and rinse.

Cut the feet in half lengthwise and crosswise at the joints. Remove the claws. (Do not chop as there will be many small bones). Cut the shin into several pieces. Also cut the beef into parts. Soak all the meat in cold water for 2-3 hours, or better yet, leave it overnight in a cool place.

Place the meat in a pot and cover it with cold water. The water should be 2-3 inches above the level of the meat. Place the pot on the heat and bring to a boil. When foam appears, be sure to skim it all off with a spoon. Then cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to a minimum. Let the meat simmer for 4-5 hours.

Do not allow rapid boiling, do not add water to the pot, even if some has evaporated!

After four hours, add carrots, black peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, and a washed unpeeled onion to the pot. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for another 1-1.5 hours.

Remove the pot from the heat, remove the meat with a slotted spoon and let it cool. Discard the onion but leave the carrots for decoration. Season the broth with salt, it should taste slightly salty, and add ground black pepper. After 10-15 minutes, remove excess fat from the broth.

You can use a regular spoon for this, or use a napkin. A regular paper napkin placed in the broth absorbs the fat, can be quickly removed and discarded. Do a test that will answer the eternal question "will it solidify or not?" Drip some broth on your index and middle fingers, if they stick together, then it's ready.

Sort through the cooled meat, removing all the bones. You can chop the meat or shred it into fibers. Prepare a deep dish for the holodets (plates, small bowls, salad bowls, etc.) Place some greens, carrot pieces, and meat at the bottom of each dish, it should be filled halfway or slightly more (to your taste). Pour in the broth, it should completely cover the meat. Now, refrigerate the holodets (no matter how difficult it may seem) until completely solidified.

When serving the dish of holodets, you can place the plate in boiling water for 5 seconds, then carefully invert it onto a serving dish. Garnish to your taste (with pickles, herbs, etc.) and serve with mustard or horseradish. Enjoy your meal!

(5/5)