Kholodets

Ingredients

Meat

• 2pork trotters, split
• 1pork hock, about 800 g
• 500 gpork shoulder, or a chicken quartered
• 3 litrescold water

Aromatics

• 2onions, unpeeled and halved
• 2carrots
• 1 headof garlic, halved
• 3bay leaves
• 1 tspblack peppercorns
• 5allspice berries
• salt

To finish

• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• black pepper

To serve

• hot mustard
• grated horseradish, or khrin
• dark rye bread
• chopped dill

Directions

1. Soak everything in cold water for three hours, changing it once. Drain and rinse everything before it goes in the pot. Put the meat in a large pot and cover it with cold water. Bring it to the boil and let it boil hard for five minutes. Drain it all off and rinse the meat and the pot.
2. Return the meat to the clean pot with the three litres of cold water. Bring it slowly up to the boil. Skim off any remaining foam thoroughly. Lower the heat until the surface barely trembles. Simmer it uncovered for five to six hours. Add the onions, carrots, bay, peppercorns and allspice after four hours.
3. Salt it only in the last hour. The broth should reduce to about half its original volume. Dip a spoon in the hot broth and let it cool for a minute. Rub a little between your thumb and forefinger. It should feel distinctly sticky and glue your fingers together.
4. Lift all the meat out with a slotted spoon. Let it cool until you can handle it. Pull the meat off the bones and discard the bones. Discard the skin, gristle and any fat you do not want. Chop or shred the meat into small pieces. Now the broth, which should be strained twice. Strain it through a sieve, discarding the vegetables and spices.
5. Strain it again through muslin or a clean cloth for clarity. Skim every trace of fat off the surface. Taste it and adjust the salt, since it will taste blander cold. Season it more strongly than seems right while hot.
6. Crush the raw garlic and stir it into the hot broth. Adding it raw keeps its sharpness, which is what is wanted. Grind black pepper in generously. Now assembling, which is done in shallow dishes. Divide the chopped meat between shallow bowls or a tray. Spread it in an even layer rather than heaping it. Ladle the strained broth over it slowly. The meat should be just covered.
7. Let it cool at room temperature for no more than two hours. Move it to the fridge before it has gone fully cold. Cover it once it is cold and refrigerate it overnight. It needs at least eight hours to set firm. Cut it into thick slabs with a wet knife.
8. Serve it cold, with hot mustard and horseradish alongside. The sharpness of the mustard against the cold jelly is the whole point. Serve dark rye bread with it and scatter dill over the top. It keeps for four days in the fridge, covered.

Technique

• Trotters are what set it; no powdered gelatine is used and a lean pot will never set.
• Never let it boil, since boiling emulsifies the fat and clouds the jelly.
• Cool it at room temperature for two hours at most, then refrigerate.

Substitutions

• Beef shin and oxtail in place of pork, which some households use.
• Chicken feet added to boost the gelatine.

Variations

• Made with chicken, giving a lighter jelly.
• With carrot and boiled egg set into it for decoration.
• Studenets, the closely related version made across the region.

History

A savory meat jelly, made by slow-simmering meat, often including gelatin-rich cuts like pork trotters, for many hours until the resulting broth naturally sets into a firm gel once chilled, without any added commercial gelatin required, documented in Ukrainian and wider Eastern European cooking for generations as a way to make full use of gelatin-rich but less prized cuts of meat. It is traditionally served cold, sliced and often accompanied by mustard or horseradish to cut through its rich, fatty character, and kholodets carries particular association with New Year and other winter holiday celebrations across Ukraine, commonly prepared in advance and served as part of an elaborate festive spread rather than as routine everyday food.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kholodets?

Kholodets is a snack from Ukraine: jellied pork aspic with mustard or horseradish. A savory meat jelly, made by slow-simmering meat, often including gelatin-rich cuts like pork trotters, for many hours until the resulting broth naturally sets into a firm gel once chilled, without any added commercial gelatin required, documented in Ukrainian and wider Eastern European cooking for generations as a way to make full use of gelatin-rich but less prized cuts of meat. It is traditionally served cold, sliced and often accompanied by mustard or horseradish to cut through its rich, fatty character, and kholodets carries particular association with New Year and other winter holiday celebrations across Ukraine, commonly prepared in advance and served as part of an elaborate festive spread rather than as routine everyday food.

How long does Kholodets take to make?

Kholodets takes 30 min of preparation and 6 hours, plus overnight setting of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kholodets?

Yes, within limits. Beef shin and oxtail in place of pork, which some households use. Chicken feet added to boost the gelatine.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kholodets?

Lift all the meat out with a slotted spoon. Let it cool until you can handle it. Pull the meat off the bones and discard the bones. Discard the skin, gristle and any fat you do not want. Chop or shred the meat into small pieces. Now the broth, which should be strained twice. Strain it through a sieve, discarding the vegetables and spices.