Among the cold appetizers on the festive table for a long time in the national cuisine of many peoples, the place of honor takes pride. It is cooked from different types of meat, served with horseradish and mustard, with vinegar and ground black pepper. And each nation also has its own traditions of decorating dishes. Like cooking methods.
Why chicken and pork
Let's first define the terminology. Jellied meat, also
known as
jelly, aspic or cold, is a very strong meat or fish broth that has frozen to a jelly state and is served chilled. It is cooked from beef, pork, game and poultry, valuable varieties of fresh or
frozen fish. But the jelly made from chicken and pork legs is especially tasty.
Tender, tender
chicken meat is cooked quickly. And the broth from it is light, sunny yellow, appetizing in appearance, with amber circles of fat. But the gelling substances in such meat are not always enough to harden, especially if you use not an adult bird, but a chicken. That's why they cooked jellied chicken and pork legs so that the broth “grasps” well. Of course, instead of cold cuts, you can always use gelatin, thus saving time in the kitchen. But not all housewives love the taste and smell of this substance in food. And they prefer to be transported longer at the stove, but to cook a classic and very delicious jellied meat: from chicken and pork legs.
Some rules
However, you should remember a few rules. In order for the jelly to turn out to be transparent and bright, the broth should by no means boil. Boil only on low heat, and be sure to open the lid on the pan. Jellied chicken and pork legs for a long time. Poultry meat for at least 3 hours, pork - 5-6. The degree of readiness is checked by how easily and well it lags behind the bones. And the initial volume of liquid in the pan should decrease by almost half. The first boiled water is usually drained, the carcass and legs are poured fresh, spices are put, etc. and cook until ready. Both types of broth are prepared separately, combined at the very end and always boil once.
Basic recipe
So, if you need
chicken jelly, the recipe is this: divide the gutted and cut carcass into portions, put it in a saucepan and pour cold water about 2 fingers above the meat. Put on medium heat, let it boil, boil for 10 minutes and drain the first broth. Rinse the pan, add carrots (pieces 2-3) and sliced roots (celery, parsley), a whole onion, a few peas of black and allspice and bay leaves to the meat. Pour boiling water 5-6 cm above the meat, add salt and cook over low heat until cooked for about 3 hours. Remove scale and grease with a slotted spoon. Salts can be added to taste. In another pan, also cook the pork leg. Remove the prepared meat from the broths, disassemble it into small pieces, removing it from the chicken skin. Strain the broths, combine, boil.
We serve competently
To make beautifully chicken
jellied meat, the recipe recommends laying the fillet at the bottom of plates, jellied bowls or bowls, alternating it with carrot mugs and sprigs of fresh dill or parsley. Hard-boiled eggs are also suitable, also sliced in circles. For pungency and smell, pass the head of garlic through a press and add a little to each plate. Pour their contents with still hot broth, wait for the jelly to cool, and refrigerate. Do not forget horseradish and mustard, as well as a seasoning of apple or table vinegar with ground black pepper!
Mixed jelly
Many people believe that the recipe for a delicious jelly must necessarily include not chicken and pork, but pork and beef meat. We can share this with you. It is often used in Romanian and Moldavian cuisines. You will need 1 kg of pork and veal legs, a head of garlic and salt. Wash the legs well, clean, put them in cast iron together, fill with 3 liters of water and cook without a lid on a small fire. Descale, and when the broth is rich enough - salt. The meat is separated from the bones - this is a sign that it is time to take it out. And remove the fat from the broth. Each recipe for delicious jellied meat recommends that the hostess pour a small amount of broth on a plate and check how quickly it hardens. If the process is short-lived, it is no longer necessary to boil the liquid. Just let it brew for half an hour. And if you don’t want to freeze, put it on the stove again and boil a little more. Chop the garlic finely. Arrange the meat on a plate, sprinkle with garlic, pour the broth and let it cool well. This is how jelly is cooked step by step.
When there is a slow cooker
For those who like to experiment with kitchen appliances, we can offer to cook jelly from chicken and pork legs in a slow cooker. Mistresses using this device will probably say that the dish comes out just fine. And time savings, too, by the way, are considerable! After all, you do not need to run endlessly to the stove, descale and regulate the fire so that the broth does not run away. To achieve this, you will need: pork - 1 kg (a piece of shank with good pulp), the same amount of chicken meat (you can take a few thighs or part of the carcass), onion, 1 carrot, a few pieces of bay leaves and a handful of allspice. Coriander and roots are also suitable - they should be cut into cubes.
Technique works for you
Wash the pork leg thoroughly, you can even use a brush, and soak it for about an hour in cold water. Then chop into several parts and put in the bowl of the crock-pot. Washed and peeled carrots put there, cubes of parsley and celery, followed by washed onions. But don’t undress it from the husk, because it is thanks to it that your aspic will have an amazing amber hue. Last put the chicken thighs. Fill everything with cold water (3 liters), close the lid and set the program to the option “Pilaf / Jelly” - about 5 hours. After the indicated time, add salt to the dish, add spices and cook the jelly from pork legs for another hour in the same program. Then take out the meat, let it cool slightly, divide it into pieces and place in plates or special molds. Strain the broth, cut the carrots into circles, lay to the meat. Pour in the broth and leave to harden. As you can see, everything is very simple and very tasty! For beauty, put in a congealing liquid a sprig of fresh parsley.
Jellied rooster
From time immemorial, in the villages, cooking homemade jelly is done on the basis of only poultry stock - ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl, chicken. But most often, of course, they cook it from a rooster. And although “Petya” should languish on the stove for a long time, even after 5-6 hours of cooking, his meat remains pretty harsh, such “trifles” do not frighten delicacy lovers. After all, the broth itself is so fragrant that his head is spinning from a teasing smell. Taste, however, is beyond praise. Therefore, we can firmly say: if you ever ate a real home-made jelly from a cockerel, this feast of his stomach will remain with you for a long time. Are you interested in what is the secret of the dish? First of all, in that, in addition to meat, giblets are used for the broth - heart and liver. They give a special satiety and fatty jelly. From the liver, the dish also receives a special peculiar taste. Well, thanks to the paws, such a cold is guaranteed to freeze, and it will not have to slurp with spoons, like an ordinary soup.
How to cook
For every kilogram of meat, 2-3 liters of water are required, about 6-8 cloves of garlic, salt to taste. Cut the prepared cock into portions. Wash well and paws, only chop off the claws first. Put them in a pan, head, liver, heart, fill with water and let it boil. Drain the water, add fresh hot, and then put the bird carcass itself in the pan. Cook over low heat, descaling. When the meat becomes soft enough, but not yet quite ready, remove the paws and head, liver and heart from the broth and continue cooking, salting the jellied meat and adding spices. At the end, divide the meat into pieces, and some parts - thighs, wings, neck - can also be left on the bones. Arrange on plates, add chopped garlic and season with a scoop. It cures so cold quickly and gives pleasure to everyone who likes a tasty meal. Our grandmothers claimed that salted or pickled cucumbers would suit this jelly more than other gas stations. They set off the taste of the broth and help to recognize all its shades. Let's try, huh?