Jellied, jelly, jellied meat - all these are the names of one dish that allows some variations in cooking and serving. For example, aspic assumes the presence of a prepared main ingredient, beautifully laid out in portioned forms, decorated with pieces of eggs or vegetables, filled with a thin layer of jelly. Jelly provides for a long languishing of certain parts of beef or pork carcasses - shanks, tails, fetlocks, legs, cheeks and others. Aspic can be called both aspic and jelly. The second is more often.
It is necessary
- - Gelatin;
- - meat products;
- - salt, spices;
- - pan;
- - skimmer;
- - Bowl;
- - colander;
- - plates for jellied meat;
- - gauze.
Instructions
Step 1
When you are going to cook jellied meat with the addition of gelatin, decide whether you are going to use regular or instant gelatin. The difference is in the methods of processing raw materials - partially hydrolyzed protein of animal origin. Gelatin is obtained by denaturation of collagen contained in some parts of cattle carcasses - skin, cartilage, shank joints and thighs. At the end of the process, it is crushed and dried. This product is rapidly soluble due to additional heat treatment and slightly different preparation of the initial product, as well as a finer fraction of translucent granules. Be that as it may, but the raw materials for the production of both types of gelatin are the same. It is not for nothing that the name "meat glue" is firmly attached to it, gelatin is not a product for vegetarians. For them, you can pick something with similar gelling properties - say, agar made from seaweed, or pectin, found in apples and citrus fruits.
Step 2
You might want to buy sheet gelatin, which is relatively new in retail stores. It came from the confectionery industry, where it has been used with success almost since the end of the 80s of the last century. It is not necessary to say that this species is something significantly different from the crystalline one - ordinary or rapidly dissolving. Both the composition and the manufacturing technology are identical. However, there are some differences, but they do not depend on whether you purchased sheet or granular gelatin. They are in density, which in some countries is determined according to Valens (in the range from 500 to 1300 units), in others - according to Bloom (from 150 to 300 units). The higher the "gelatin number", the lower the concentration of the substance is needed for the jellied meat.
Step 3
Pay attention to the moisture content of the gelatin you buy. In a product that meets GOST, it is not more than 16%. If this figure is higher, gelatin will give a less strong solution, despite its density. Another indicator that even good housewives rarely pay attention to is acidity. The state standard instructs manufacturers to observe a level of 5-7 pH units for a 1% gelatin solution, but unscrupulous entrepreneurs often ignore these recommendations. Of course, minor deviations will not affect the jellied meat, but certainly on fruit or milk jelly, as well as a number of other dessert dishes, where gelatin is added.
Step 4
Calculate the strength and volume of the solution required for the jellied meat. Usually, instructions for using a particular dry product are given on the back of the package, but if you suddenly poured gelatin into a jar and did not save it, then put 30-35 g of gelatin for each liter of strained broth at the rate of 30-35 g. Remember that the meat parts that were cooked in it will give a share of the strength to the jellied meat. In this recommendation, an amendment must be made: if among the meat parts there are beef tails, pork legs, etc., then the amount of gelatin should be reduced to 25-30 g. And if in the kitchen, where the jellied meat will freeze, it is rather hot due to heated batteries, then on the contrary, increase to 35-40 g.
Step 5
When preparing jellied meat, try to take for it meat and poultry with a high content of "meat glue" - pork hams and shanks, beef thigh, chicken legs. Burn those parts that may contain residual bristles over an open fire. There is nothing worse than finding such a "gift" in a homemade jelly. Cook meat products in salted broth for at least three to four hours, then remove and disassemble, carefully monitoring the presence of small bones that may end up in the pan due to poor quality cut. Strain the liquid first through a colander, then through cheesecloth folded in several layers.
Step 6
Dissolve regular gelatin in cold water, according to the recipe indicated on the package. On average, it requires soaking for half an hour. Instant - do not pre-soak (but remember that the dry product is added to the broth, and not vice versa). Then heat the soaked gelatin until complete or almost complete dissolution, gradually bringing the temperature of the solution to 60-65 degrees. Try to do this no more than 7-8 minutes. An increase in temperature or heating time is fraught with the formation of a specific "sticky" smell, completely undesirable in the finished jellied meat. Strain the dissolved gelatin, pour into the broth, stir, remove from heat, let cool slightly. In the meantime, put chopped garlic, a few black peppercorns and a couple of bay leaves in the jellied molds. Chop the meat products, distribute them evenly.
Step 7
Gently pour the broth mixed with the gelatin solution (or dry if you chose it). It is advisable to leave at least 3-4 cm of free space in plates, bowls or containers. Try not to move the containers, giving them a few hours of "rest". When seized, you can transfer to the refrigerator. Let them wait in the wings there.
Step 8
Serve jellied meat in the same plates as you did. On the most solemn occasions, serve on a platter, garnished with drops of sauce and sprigs of fresh herbs. Traditionally, the best accompaniment to all types of jellies and jellies is horseradish. Gastronomic trends of today prescribe it to be painted with natural dyes - for example, carrot or beet juice, as an option - spinach juice.
