Jelly fans swear by the many forms and recipes of this delicious dish! There is no doubt that it is a true seasonal winter dish, healthy, delicious and good for the skin and joints. It's good to know that it's not worth starting to make it if you don't have at least 5-6 hours to cook it. And don't forget that jelly has a secret ingredient! What is it? Find out in our article!
Jelly season
The season is here! Although the end of year holidays are mostly about “spread-it-all-around”, we have to mention the jelly. It's a dish that we don't just eat at the end of the year, but we always make it seasonally. Somehow, it has become part of the public consciousness that jelly Christmas a food to be eaten at a certain time of the day, but in principle you can prepare it and eat it at any time.
Real retro jelly is part of our culture. Its preparation is traditional domestic custom, the consumption and preparation of which is essential as the end of the year approaches. The reason is that there is no Christmas season without this floppy, vibrant, food. The secret ingredient to the perfect jelly is exactly the same as in any dish, and that is good raw material. Of course, you should also add the right recipe and a suitably skilled domestic fairy.
Jelly is a divisive but important food
The jelly itself is a somewhat divisive dish, as it contains plenty of meaty parts, and the fatty ones are more common. Of course, the variety of ways to prepare it is as wide as the stars in the sky. If there is one thing that fits the saying „as many houses as there are customs”, it is jelly. And the ratio of meat to cupcake and fatty ingredients varies enormously. It's clearly nonsense to say that it's an unhealthy food, as the basic ingredients are good for the body. They are good for our bones, our skin, our joints specifically, and even our skin. It's high in carbohydrates, collagen and especially protein, so people who do intense physical work should eat it as a matter of course, like athletes.
How to make good jelly
The secret ingredient is patience. Making jelly is as simple as it is time-consuming. Whoever starts making jelly, expect a long cooking time. The reason for this is that if you don't cook it long enough, you won't get deep flavours, just a jelly something. It's the concentrated flavours that give the jelly its essence! So you should have a minimum of 5-9 hours cooking time, depending on the quantity of course, so if you don't have that time frame - don't even bother making the jelly.
Good jelly needs good ingredients
As with all food, good quality ingredients are essential for jelly. What you need to get is the leather, the ready-to-cook jelly meat. Of course, the amount of meat on the leg, thigh or shoulder depends on how you like your meaty, chewy parts. You can add nails, head, tail, but it is very important that it is well cleaned. For a deeper flavour in the jelly, it's always a good idea to use shank, which gives it a spicy smokiness. Put the meaty ingredients on to simmer, skimming constantly, similar to a broth, to create a clear base stock. The essential ingredients for a good jelly are onions and garlic - these should be added as a basic ingredient. From there, there are really a lot of different solutions. They are turbo-charged with various vegetables - carrots, turnips, peppers - in completely different quantities. There are also versions where they add eggs to serve. The base stock can be cooked with or without vegetables, it's a matter of taste, but if you cook it without vegetables, you have to take extra time for these ingredients.
Cooking should be more of a gradual process, at about 95 degrees. The coals should not boil, but just simmer, so that small bubbles form. Since the decoction is a slow process, cooking the jelly on a slow flame for at least 4-5 hours! Once you are done with the juice, let it stand and cool, while you remove the fat from the top. If you don't do this, your jelly will be pretty ugly!
Retro jelly recipe
Ingredients: 1 kg pork ears, pork tails and pork nails mixed, 300 g pork rind, 6 l water, 500 g hocks, 500 g smoked pork loin, 2 heads of garlic, salt, pepper to taste, 1 dried hot pepper to taste.
Preparation
Slice the meat, preferably evenly so that it is about the size of a plate. Preferably put them in a large pot, pour cold water over them and start cooking. When the water is hot and foaming, add the garlic and spices. And add the water again.
Cook the jelly ingredients over a low heat! Don't be hasty, if you want a good one, wait for 5-6 hours! In the meantime, keep an eye on the cooking juices and whisk them down until you see nice bubbles in the pot!
When you're done with the lengthy cooking process, separate the meat and vegetables from the liquid. Divide evenly into the respective containers. Strain the jelly juice and remove any fat that may still be on the jelly. Then all you have to do is pour it over the meat and put it in the fridge to set.
Serving and further seasoning is now just a matter of habit and can be done in a variety of ways, according to your needs! But the main thing is to eat it with good appetite! #
Author: Tamás Budafoki
Photo by Flickr, pixabay
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