What should jellied meat be like?
Jellied meat, jelly, jellied meat and fish - all these are cold appetizers on the festive table, familiar to us from childhood. These dishes are very tasty, satisfying and healthy. They consist of meat and jelly. The beauty and taste of jellied meat or aspic directly depend on the consistency of the jelly. The jelly should be elastic and tasty, retaining its shape, but not rubbery. The jelly should melt in your mouth and not spread on the plate. Unfrozen jelly turns jellied meat into an ugly meat porridge, and jellied meat into broth, with pieces of meat floating in it.
How to cook jellied meat correctly
Preparing jellied meat is a long process, but not laborious. It’s just that the base for the jellied meat needs to be cooked for a very long time, and then it cools for a long time in the refrigerator. Therefore, every housewife should take this into account and start preparing jellied meat at least a day before serving. Sometimes the hostess begins to sound the alarm that guests will arrive soon, but the jellied meat has not frozen, and he simply does not have enough time for this.
There are rules, following which it is not difficult to prepare a good jellied meat; deviation from these rules leads to the fact that the jelly does not harden well:
- The ingredients of meat and water must be observed. The water should just barely cover the meat in the pan. If you pour too much water, you will end up with runny jellied meat and it will most likely not harden. To prevent the jellied meat from sticking to the bottom, you cannot use enamel dishes for cooking;
- After the jellied meat has boiled, it is advisable to remove the foam and reduce the heat to minimum. Let the meat simmer for as long as possible, 5-6 hours. To make the jelly fragrant and beautiful, it is advisable to put peeled whole carrots and onions into the broth, and at the end of cooking, a bay leaf. If the jellied meat is not frozen, one of the reasons may be insufficient cooking time. Even with minimal heat, during long cooking, pieces of meat at the end of the process are above the broth, and the water boils away. If you dip your fingers in this broth, they will be sticky, which means the jelly will be good. Under no circumstances should you add water, otherwise the jellied meat will definitely not be frozen;
- When the meat is cooked, you need to take it out, cool it a little, and while still warm, separate it from the bones, chop it finely and place it in molds to harden. It is advisable to sprinkle the meat with pepper and add finely chopped garlic. Then strain the broth and pour the broth over the meat, stir and leave on the table to cool. Place the cooled jellied meat in the refrigerator until completely frozen. How long does it take for jellied meat to freeze? Usually jellied meat is made in the evening; it slowly hardens in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, when guests arrive, it is already completely frozen and holds its shape well. But still, it is advisable to serve jellied meat on the table when all the guests are already at the table, and when it can be immediately laid out on plates.
