Aukstā gaļa

Ingredients

Meat

• 2pig’s trotters, split
• 2pig’s ears
• 1 kgpork hock, on the bone
• 2onions, halved
• 2carrots
• 1 headgarlic, halved
• 3bay leaves
• 1 tbspblack peppercorns
• 1 tbspallspice berries
• 2 tbspsalt
• water, to cover

To season

• 4 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1 tspground black pepper
• salt, to taste

To serve

• strong mustard
• grated horseradish
• boiled potatoes and rye bread

Directions

1. Wash the trotters, ears and hock and soak them in cold water for two hours to draw out the blood, which otherwise leaves the jelly grey and cloudy.
2. Put everything in a large pot with the onion, carrot, garlic, bay, peppercorns, allspice and salt, cover with cold water by 5 cm and bring very slowly to a bare simmer. Skim the grey foam off thoroughly in the first twenty minutes.
3. Simmer for three to four hours, never boiling — the surface should barely move. A boil emulsifies the fat into the stock and gives a cloudy, greasy set instead of a clear one.
4. Lift the meat out and cool it enough to handle. Pick every scrap off the bones, discard bones and gristle, and chop the meat coarsely — some pieces small, some large.
5. Strain the stock through muslin and test it: chill a spoonful on a saucer for five minutes. It should set firm. If it does not, boil the stock down further and test again. This is the only reliable way to know it will hold.
6. Stir the crushed garlic and pepper through the meat, then taste the stock and season it hard. Cold jelly mutes salt badly and a stock that tastes right hot will taste of nothing tomorrow.
7. Divide the meat between bowls or a loaf tin, pour the stock over to cover, and refrigerate overnight.
8. Serve cold, cut in slices, with mustard, horseradish, boiled potatoes and rye bread.

Technique

• The saucer test decides everything. Reduce until it sets, then a little further.
• Never boil. Every cloudy, greasy aukstā gaļa is one that boiled.
• Season the stock aggressively while hot. This is the second most common mistake.

Substitutions

• Beef shin and a calf’s foot for a beef version.
• A little powdered gelatine as insurance if the stock will not set, though the flavour is thinner.

Variations

• The Estonian sült, Lithuanian šaltiena and Russian kholodets are the same dish.
• Some households set sliced boiled egg and carrot in the bottom of the mould, which appears on top when turned out.

History

Boiled trotters and ears set naturally into aspic; the dish appears at Latvian Christmas and midsummer tables.

Frequently asked questions

What is Aukstā gaļa?

Aukstā gaļa is a charcuterie & cured from Latvia: jellied pork set in its own broth, sliced and eaten with mustard. Boiled trotters and ears set naturally into aspic; the dish appears at Latvian Christmas and midsummer tables.

How long does Aukstā gaļa take to make?

Aukstā gaļa takes 45 min of preparation and 4 hours, plus overnight setting of cooking. The recipe makes serves 10. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Aukstā gaļa?

Yes, within limits. Beef shin and a calf’s foot for a beef version. A little powdered gelatine as insurance if the stock will not set, though the flavour is thinner.

What is the most important thing to get right in Aukstā gaļa?

Wash the trotters, ears and hock and soak them in cold water for two hours to draw out the blood, which otherwise leaves the jelly grey and cloudy.