Kholodets is a royal dish with Russian roots. This meat delicacy was prepared in Russia for the New Year and Christmas celebrations. The first mention of the benefits of aspic are found in ancient letters and chronicles.
In Russia, jelly was prepared only in royal and rich houses. It was served the day after big celebrations when there was a lot of leftover food in the house. All these products were cut into small pieces, poured with meat broth and boiled. After that, the resulting mixture was poured into bowls and put in the cold. Kholodets was a favorite dish of the servants, as the boyars considered it unappetizing.
The chemical composition of jelly
The chemical composition of aspic is very rich in macro- and microelements. Among the trace elements, aluminum, copper, rubidium, boron, fluorine and vanadium are most of all in the composition of the broth. The main macronutrients are calcium, phosphorus and sulfur. Despite the fact that the broth is cooked for a very long time, it contains a huge amount of vitamins A, B9 and C.
Calorie aspic
Aspic is a very high-calorie delicacy. 100 grams of this product contains more than 250 kcal. Despite the great benefits of jelly, it is often better not to get carried away with this delicacy. But if on one of the holidays you decide to treat yourself to this dish, then it is best to use a calorie calculator.
Useful properties of jelly
Kholodets is a favorite dish of millions of people at various festive feasts, but only a few know that this delicacy is very useful for our body.
One of the main benefits of aspic is the presence of collagen. Collagen is a building protein for the cells of our body, and also acts as the basis for connecting tissues. Most of the collagen is destroyed during the preparation of jelly, but the rest is very valuable for our body. The properties of collagen slow down the aging process of tissues, reduce the possibility of erasing bones and cartilage.
After the festive feasts, people who drank jelly along with alcohol in the evening complain much less about hangover symptoms. This is all thanks to aminoacetic acid, which is found to a large extent in glycine.
Glycine also contributes to the activation of brain activity, in addition, it restores the necessary amount of various useful substances in our body. Glycine activates the action of enzymes that help overcome fear, relieve tension and get rid of long-term depression.
The jelly contains vitamins of group B, which contribute to the structure of hemoglobin, as well as many polyunsaturated acids, which normalize the nervous system. Jelly is useful in that it contains lysine amino acids, which contribute to better absorption of calcium. It is also useful for its antiviral actions.
In addition, retinol, which is one of the main components, has a positive effect on human immunity, normalizes vision. The restoration of the joints, as well as the increase in their mobility, is helped by the influence of natural gelatin.
Aspic contraindications
Despite the presence of many useful properties of this delicacy, it is still worth limiting yourself in this product. Aspic has a high level of cholesterol, which contributes to the development of vascular diseases. Most of all, the possible outcome of the appearance of blood clots and plaques inside the vessels. This can be the main cause of heart disease.
Very often on our tables, garlic dressings act as an addition to jelly, which provoke liver diseases.
In Russia, to the south, the same version of the dish is known as jelly. Classic jelly, aka jelly, cannot be categorized as aspic. The main difference is only natural products, different-sized pieces of carcasses and long cooking. Tails, legs, ears, parts of the heads with gelling substances are taken to the pulp, which gives the desired effect. No agar-agar, gelatin, pectin and other achievements of gastronomy.
Among the national varieties of jelly, you have probably heard, tried German brawn, Georgian mazhuzha, Ukrainian dredges. All of them are good with appetizing mustard and grated horseradish, especially during the cold season with its many holidays. The basic recipe below is familiar to experienced housewives and will not become a discovery for them - rather, it is sent to beginners as a help, with explanations and a detailed step-by-step description.
Preparation time: 9 hours / Number of servings: 15
Ingredients
- pork legs 500 g
- pork pulp 550 g
- chicken fillet 350 g
- chicken drumsticks 300 g
- chicken thigh 500 g
- carrots 1-2 pcs.
- onion 2-3 pcs.
- garlic ½ head
- bay leaf 3-5 pcs.
- black peppercorns to taste
- salt to taste
- greens ½ bunch
Cooking
We thoroughly wash the meat preparations in cold water, lower them into the pan. Completely covering, fill with water, put on maximum heat and let it boil. A grayish foam collects on the surface - we drain all the liquid along with the “flakes”, once again wash the scalded meat and the container. We return the pieces to a clean pan, pour in the required volume of new water: 4 liters. It's very easy to calculate. For every kilogram of meat take 2 liters of cold water. I have a total weight of poultry and pork is a little more than 2 kg - so I add 4 liters of water. We boil a second time, lay the onions, carrots, green branches, lower the temperature and, with a slight boil, cook for the first 2-3 hours. I don’t remove the husk from onions, with it the broth is painted with a more saturated shade. Onion peel is a great natural dye, remember Easter eggs?
Spicy and spicy spices - bay leaves and black peppercorns - some are thrown at the beginning of cooking, others - after a couple of hours, about in the middle or an hour before the end of the process. One hour is enough to flavor the broth. The same goes for salt. Out of habit, some salt immediately, but without salt, both vegetables and meat fibers soften faster. I advise you to season for an hour and a half before removing from heat. Do not forget that the salt concentration should be higher than in the usual broths / soups / borschts. As the jelly cools, the salinity will balance.
Modern culinary experts, known on TV shows, have the following rule: “Cook the broth for jelly for 4 hours and cool until it sets, also for 4 hours.” In practice, adjustments are possible. It all depends on the gelling substances in the connective tissue, bones. Lubricate your lips with a drop of rich broth. If a sticky, sticky film is felt, proceed to the next step. My jelly was cooked for 5 hours. Notice how the color has changed and how much the liquid has evaporated.
Now, perhaps, the most labor-consuming stage. Stock up on a colander, a fine sieve, another pan, bowls for serving - the broth must be filtered and at least two or three times, separate large and small fragments, excess fat. Discard boiled onions, herbs, spices, leave soft carrots for decoration.
We take out all the bones, cartilage from pork legs, chicken. The meat after a long cooking instantly disintegrates and there are no difficulties to remove the bones. Do not throw away the skin, chop finely and finely and mix with the rest of the boiled and fragrant pulp - it will come out juicy and tender.
Without stint, we lay out the fibrous meat in stocked deep forms, plates. We fill the entire perimeter of the bottom, do not leave gaps. For meat-eaters, first of all, of course, meat is important, and secondly, an unsteady layer of jelly. But be guided by personal preferences and independently set the proportions of meat-jelly.
Pour the still hot fragrant and concentrated broth - leave the meat under the liquid layer.
In random order, we lay out figures from carrots, parsley branches - we complement them with bright accents. We are waiting for the final cooling. Then we throw a film or install a lid, keep it on the shelf of the refrigerator until it sets (at least 4 hours).
If there is leftover broth, pour into convenient portion molds, freeze. Store the meat concentrate in the freezer and use it to prepare gravy, first courses, sauces.
After waiting for uniform solidification, serve homemade jelly with horseradish and mustard. We turn over small containers, put the jelly on flat plates. Enjoy your meal!
Product set:
- beef tail (from the carcass of a young cow) - 1 pc. weighing approximately 0.8-1 kg;
- meaty shanks - 2 pcs. (total weight approximately 3-3.5 kg);
- fine-fiber beef pulp without bone (preferably from the shoulder) - 0.8-1 kg;
- filtered water - about 5 l;
- onion - 2 large heads;
- carrots - 2 medium-sized root crops;
- salt - to your taste;
- bay leaves - 3 pcs.;
- allspice and black peppercorns;
- garlic - 0.5-1 head (if desired).
The secret of the successful production of beef jelly lies in the correct choice of meat intended for it. Experienced chefs say that in order for the beef jelly to freeze well, and the jelly in it to be concentrated and transparent, to cook it, you need to use those parts of the meat carcass in which cartilage and connective tissues are present in the greatest amount. Thus, beef shanks and tails are optimal for cooking this dish.
Advice. In order for the broth to be rich, fragrant and absolutely transparent, only fresh meat should be used for cooking jelly. Frozen beef jelly is cloudy.
Cooking order
1. Thoroughly wash the meat, scrape the surface of the shanks and tail with a knife in order to remove all adhering motes and small fragments of bones from them. In order for the jelly to turn out to be completely transparent, blood must be removed from the meat. To do this, soak all pieces of beef for 1.5-2 hours in ice water.
2. Rinse the soaked meat again. Put the pulp in the refrigerator for a while, and place the shanks and the tail cut into 2-3 parts tightly in a large saucepan and fill them with cold drinking water. Ideally, the liquid level should rise above the pieces of meat by no more than 2-3 fingers.
3. Put the pan on the stove, turn on the burner under it at full power. When the water begins to boil, reduce the flame by half and use a slotted spoon to remove the foam that forms on it from the surface of the broth.
You can add carrots, olives or gherkins to jelly for decoration
5. After the scale stops appearing (usually, it takes 10-15 minutes), reduce the flame to a minimum, cover the prepared jelly with a lid and leave it to simmer on the stove with a minimum, barely noticeable boil for 4-4.5 hours.
Important! During the first 5 hours of cooking, do not salt the jelly, otherwise the meat will turn out tough!
6. From time to time lift the lid and collect fat from the broth.
7. 4.5 hours after boiling, dip the beef pulp into the pot with aspic, add fire, wait until the broth boils again, collect foam from it and reduce the flame to a minimum again.
8. After 2 hours from the moment of laying the meat, put peppercorns and peeled, cut in half lengthwise onions and carrots into a saucepan with jelly.
Advice! To give the broth a beautiful golden color, you can pre-fry the root vegetables to a light brown crust in a frying pan without oil.
9. Salt the jelly to taste for the first time, and check its saltiness after half an hour. Part of the salt will absorb the meat, so most likely the jelly will have to be salted.
10. 3-3.5 hours after laying the beef pulp, the jelly will be almost ready. Dip bay leaves into the broth and after 5-10 minutes turn off the burner.
11. As soon as the broth cools down a bit, proceed to disassemble the jellied meat.
12. Arm yourself with two large forks, alternately remove pieces of meat from the pan with a slotted spoon, put them on a dish scalded with boiling water and use a knife and forks to remove the pieces of meat from the bones and disassemble them into separate thin fibers.
13. Transfer the meat fibers freed from cartilage and bones into pre-sterilized enamel bowls or other suitable containers (ordinary deep bowls, special molds or metal bowls).
14. Having completed the layout of the meat, strain the broth through a scalded small metal strainer, heat it again to a boil, if necessary, add salt, if desired, add the garlic squeezed through the press and pour the prepared meat into the molds with the prepared hot broth.
15. After the jelly has completely cooled at room temperature, put it in the refrigerator. The next morning, the jelly will be ready.
Jellied pork legs and shank
Ingredients:
- meaty shank - 1 pc;
- well processed pork legs (preferably from the market) - 2-3 pieces
- onion - 2 heads
- carrot - 1 pc.
- laurel leaves - 2-3 pieces
- black peppercorns, salt and 1/2 head of garlic.
Cooking:
1. Ask the butcher in the market in advance to cut each leg and shank into 2-3 parts.
2. Rinse the meat components thoroughly and scrape the skin on the legs with the back of the knife blade.
3. Soak the pork in cold water for a couple of hours. During this time, change the water once.
4. Finally wash the pieces of the shank and legs, place them tightly in a large saucepan and fill with cold drinking water so that its level rises 3-4 cm above the meat.
5. Further technology for cooking pork jelly is practically no different from cooking beef jelly. A slight difference is the absence of a second bookmark of meat fillet and cooking time. Pork leg jelly is cooked a little faster - after 5 hours after the start of boiling, the liquid will need to be salted and vegetables and peppers put in the jelly, and after another hour the jelly can be removed from the stove.
6. After the broth has cooled slightly, remove the parts of the legs and shank from it, with a knife and fork, separate the pieces of meat and pork skin from the bones and place them in bowls or bowls.
7. Gently strain the broth through a thick metal strainer, warm it over a fire, add chopped garlic to it and pour it into molds.
8. When the jelly has hardened well, carefully remove the hardened fat from its surface with a culinary silicone spatula.
Jellied chicken
In order for the chicken jelly to be tasty and fragrant, and the jelly in it strong, concentrated and transparent, for its preparation you need to take an old domestic chicken with a yellowish skin and ankle-legged legs. Pale pink fleshy carcasses of store-bought broilers are not suitable for these purposes!
Product set:
- domestic chicken - 1 large carcass weighing about 2 kg;
- onion - 1 large head;
- carrots - 1 large root crop;
- celery and parsley roots - 1 small root each;
- laurel leaf - 2 pcs;
- black peppercorns - 10 pcs;
- salt;
- water;
- a bag of gelatin - 20 g.
Cooking order
1. Singe the carcass of the bird over the gas burner, remove the stumps remaining from the feathers with tweezers.
2. Wash the chicken and cut it into quarters.
3. Put the parts of the carcass in a large saucepan, fill them with filtered drinking water so that its level is 2 fingers higher than the level of the meat pieces.
4. Put the dishes with the bird on medium heat, after boiling the water, reduce the heat to a minimum.
5. Carefully remove all foam from the broth and cook the bird under the lid with a barely noticeable boil for 4 hours.
6. Now put in the broth a carrot cut in half, an onion in the bottom layer of the husk, peeled spicy roots and peppercorns.
7. Salt the broth to taste and cook the chicken for 1 more hour.
8. At the end of the last hour, put bay leaves in the jelly and, if necessary, add salt to the broth.
9. Turn off the burner and let the jelly cool down a little.
10. Pour gelatin with half a glass of hot boiled water. When it swells well, dilute it with a glass of hot chicken broth.
11. Remove the chicken from the broth, separate the meat from the skin and bones and arrange it in forms.
12. Strain the hot broth through a metal strainer, add the gelatin solution into it and pour the chicken meat with the resulting mixture.
13. Let the jelly cool in the air and put it in the refrigerator. After half a day, it will harden well and it can be served on the table.
Now, knowing all the rules and tricks of preparing homemade jelly, you can please your guests and household members with this extraordinarily tasty, primordially Russian holiday dish.
Cooking jelly - video
As a cold dish, jelly began to spread in the 14th century. It was the rich European houses that laid the foundation for its culinary history. In those days, hearty and thick soups were often served for lunch. The broths were cooked on the basis of bones and cartilage, so it turned out that when they cooled, they turned into a dense and viscous mass.
However, French chefs were smart and changed the recipe. Any game, pork, beef was first boiled until cooked, then the meat was twisted several times to get a uniform viscous consistency. After that, it was mixed with strained broth, spices were added and kept in the cold so that the mass hardened. Such a meat dish became known as "galantine".
The distribution of aspic in Russia
The Russian people invented their own version of "galantine", which had the name "jelly". All uneaten meat delicacies after the lordly feasts were sent to a large cauldron, where they turned into one continuous mushy mass. Then it was left in a cool place to solidify. Of course, such "secondary" food was no longer served to the masters. It was intended only for servants in order to save money.
Russia during its development in the 16th century was greatly influenced by the fashion trends of France. People of the upper class, wealthy ladies and gentlemen, could afford to hire not only a whole staff of tailors, governesses, maids, but also the best cooks. Over time, French chefs began to serve an updated recipe for jelly at gourmet dinners. They learned to add brightening ingredients to the broth, for example, turmeric, saffron or lemon zest. The taste and aroma of the dish has improved significantly, which gave reason to include "aspic" in the list of indispensable cold snacks in wealthy homes.
Gradually, jelly began to become popular. Nowadays, pork, beef, chicken meat are added as the main ingredients in jelly.
Composition and nutritional value
This cold dish contains an impressive amount of healthy nutrients. Trace elements are represented by aluminum, fluorine, boron, rubidium, vanadium. Macronutrients are calcium, phosphorus and sulfur. Despite the rather long cooking of the broth, all the beneficial substances are preserved. Among the vitamins, vitamin C, A, B9 are distinguished.
Useful properties of jelly
- Positive effect on the nervous system due to the presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
- The state of the immune function of the body improves, and the absorption of calcium increases.
- Vitamin B9, which is part of the composition, increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood.
- Brain cells begin to interact actively under the influence of licin. The general physical condition of the body improves.
- The aging process of skin cells slows down due to the presence of collagen in the jelly. It becomes firm and elastic. The functioning of the musculoskeletal system is also noticeably improved.
- The effect of gelatin favorably affects the functioning of the joints.
Calorie content of the dish
Given the fact that jelly is a frequent guest on the festive table, you need to know how high-calorie such an appetizer is. Just this indicator is quite high, because for 100 gr. product accounts for 250 kcal.
The higher the fat content of the meat on the basis of which the broth is prepared, the higher, respectively, the calorie content of the jelly. For lovers of low-fat light food, beef bones are perfect for cooking aspic.
You should not often use the services of supermarkets and buy culinary dishes there. It is easy to cook jelly with your own hands, then there is no doubt that the dish will be not only the most delicious, but also healthy.
The composition of pork jelly includes vitamin B12, zinc, iron and various amino acids, which are rich in red meat. These components are excellent helpers in the fight against beriberi, low levels of iron and calcium in the body. Pork also contains a large amount of myoglobin, which speeds up the movement of oxygen in the muscles. This property of myoglobin can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The use of pork meat prevents the development of any male diseases, such as prostatitis or infectious diseases, including preventing premature impotence. Pork fat and lard, which is part of the jelly, not only give satiety to the body, but also charge with positive energy, improve physical condition.
In the process of cooking, black pepper and garlic are often added to the jelly, so the dish is recommended for use during the development of viral influenza diseases.
beef jelly
This jelly is slightly different from pork in its delicate texture and pleasant aroma. Beef is considered dietary meat, in which there are no harmful substances. For piquancy and sharpness of taste, mustard is added to the dish, as well as horseradish.
Fact! The digestibility of beef jelly is much higher than that of pork. Even people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is recommended to include beef meat in the diet.
Another positive property of beef jelly can be called a beneficial effect on vision. Doctors advise eating beef to reduce the risk of developing any malignant disease that may occur on the retina or optic nerves. This effect is provided by vitamin A, which is part of beef meat.
chicken aspic
Prepared on the basis of ordinary chicken legs. Such jelly is low in calories, but this does not in any way reduce its taste. Usually chicken feet are rarely used, but chicken feet jelly is very useful. It contains a large number of vitamins and macronutrients. For example, the presence of choline in it improves metabolic processes in the body, normalizes pressure, increases the mobility of the musculoskeletal system. It is often included in the diet of school and preschool meals to strengthen young children's joints.The negative effect of cold
Despite all the above positive properties of jelly, it is worth recognizing the fact that it contains a huge amount of bad cholesterol, which can cause the accumulation of fatty plaques in the vessels. The high calorie content of the dish can lead to obesity if consumed too often.
All meat-based broths contain growth hormone, which, when consumed in excess, leads to muscle hypertrophy. Histomin can cause inflammation of the gallbladder.
Any antibacterial nutrients in the broth preparation process, including garlic, pepper, or ginger, should be added in moderation.
Video: the benefits and harms of jelly
Many are afraid to approach the preparation of jelly, but in vain! Even with all the apparent complexity, but adhering to just a few rules, you will definitely succeed, and your family will highly appreciate your culinary skills.
Here is what is important to know in order to cook a delicious jellied meat:
- The most important guarantee that the jelly will harden without additional addition of gelatin is the presence of pork legs in it(the ones with hooves).
- The rest of the meat can be chosen to your taste, different - pork, beef, chicken, rabbit. It is desirable that it be fresh not frozen, have a pleasant smell and color.
- Aspic can be cooked from one type of meat, of course, but it’s better take an assortment of different meats- so the taste of the dish will be richer. The main condition remains only that it be "gelatinous" parts of meat(legs, ears, shank, wings ... in general, everything with bones and veins) - it is from them that you can cook a sticky, well-hardened broth.
- In order for the broth to be appetizing, transparent and with a rich taste, spices, carrots and onions must be added during cooking. Moreover, at least one onion can be invested with not completely peeled off the husk, which will give the broth a pleasant, yellowish tint.
- It is necessary to cook aspic over low heat - so the liquid evaporates more slowly and topping up is not required. If, nevertheless, this happens and you need to add water - use not raw, but boiled, hot water. This is believed to help the broth stay clear and not cloudy.
Another important condition is that it is necessary to cook in a large saucepan so that the meat is freely located there and there is a lot of water. Still, jelly is a dish of frozen broth with meat pieces. It should remain about the same in volume as the meat.
I cook jelly beef and pork, and certainly with the addition of chicken - such a trio makes it especially tasty.
All meat must be thoroughly washed, put in a large saucepan, pour cold water for (at least) 3 hours - during this time, the water will "pull out" coagulated blood from the meat.
After that, drain this water, rinse the meat and, if necessary, clean it of hair and marks.
Put back into the saucepan. Pour cold water over medium heat.
As soon as the first water boils, it is drained. The meat can be washed and poured with fresh cold water. It is believed that a certain portion of fat (read - cholesterol) and coagulated protein (blood) are removed in this way.
As soon as the second water begins to boil, foam will appear. It must be carefully removed with a slotted spoon - the transparency of the broth depends on this.
During this time, vegetables should be prepared. Peel and wash onions and carrots, one onion, if desired, can be left with the husk.
As soon as all the foam has already been removed - reduce the fire to a minimum. Add prepared vegetables, bay leaf and black pepper. Salt, but not much, about 1 tablespoon per 6 liter pan.
Well, then ... you will have to be patient - let it all languish not in a small fire (so that a slow boil is maintained), cover with a lid and forget for 6-7 hours, no less. During this time, the meat will become incredibly soft and will be very easy to separate, literally bouncing off the bones.
By the way, if you have such a miracle device as a pressure cooker, then the cooking time can be reduced to 2-3 hours. Just be sure to follow the terms of use.
After the allotted time has passed, it will be necessary to take out the meat - let it cool down at least a little, and ...
Strain the broth through a couple of layers of cheesecloth.
Disassemble the meat into fibers or cut into small pieces - as you like, put it back into the pan. Pour in strained broth.
Then I put everything back on the fire and warm it up a little, at the same time carefully removing a layer of fat from the surface with a spoon - well, we don’t like it in a frozen form. But this is a matter of taste - if you like the fatty layer, then you can skip this step.
Now is the time to try the broth for salt. It is necessary to add salt so that the broth even seems a little oversalted - you should not be afraid of this, in a frozen state everything will become moderately salty - the meat will “pull out” some of the salt for itself.
Finely chop the garlic cloves and also send to the pan.
Turn off heat immediately and pour into prepared molds. Ideal in those that can be put on a festive table or in small, portioned molds. Portion portions are also convenient because they are with lids - by cooling in the refrigerator we get rid of unnecessary odors and save space - it is convenient to stack one on top of the other.
You can also pour in different ways. Most often, it is customary to first put meat pieces into molds, slightly tamping, and then carefully pour strained broth - this is how a beautiful separation into layers is obtained.
I like the method described above - the meat is located freely (as if "floating" in the broth), and stratification is also observed. So here the choice is yours.
If desired, you can decorate with openwork carved boiled carrots and parsley leaves.
Allow to cool at room temperature and then refrigerate until completely solidified.
Mustard and horseradish are traditionally served with jelly.
Enjoy your meal!
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