Vintage Meat Jelly (Aspic)

Evelina

  

On my way to a meeting one day, I was wearing my standard all-black uniform: a black blazer, coat, and trousers. The only thing that was different that day was that in my black handbag, instead of the usual pink laptop, I had some pink pig hoofs, aka, pettitoes. It did indeed feel funny going to a meeting with such bag content. However, it got much more amusing when I found out what the meeting was for: I got an offer to write about various bizarre foods.

Exactly like the one I was going to make that day for a Christmas party. Meat jelly. Not the kind of Lithuanian moms and grannies make, but the vintage, American one, called aspic. Google “70 aspic”, you won’t be disappointed.

I wanted a traditional flavor mixed with the awful aesthetic of peas, meat, crab sticks, and olives. And put an egg on it, so it works for breakfast, too.

I enjoy all the so-called icky ingredients, and I’m currently crazy about all things collagen – creams, Japanese food supplements, and, of course, bone broth. So the time came for the new (?), collagen-filled superfood: pig pettitoes. Some say that this trend is a fad, but to me, mushes full of collagen work like a placebo, and I like the taste, too. And it’s cheap!

By the way: those that like their aspic quite sturdy will surely not enjoy my super mild masterpiece that melts in your mouth.

Ingredients:

• 2 pig pettitoes;
• meat of choice (I used pork);
• 1 medium-sized parsley root;
• 1 large carrot;
• 1 large onion;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 4 black peppers (not crushed, whole);
• pinch of salt

Ingredients to improve the aesthetics of the aspic:

• cooked sausage;
• frozen peas;
• boiled egg;
• crab sticks;
• olives (I chose green ones stuffed with bell pepper purely based on color);
• canned corn;
• celery;
• pickled jelapeños

Steps:

1. Boil the pettitoes and meat for 3 hours on medium heat, constantly removing the foam.
2. After two hours, add the rest of the ingredients (except those used for aesthetics).
3. Add all your aesthetically-pleasing ingredients to the bottom of the bowl, then goes the meat.
4. Cover everything with broth and keep refrigerated until it sets (overnight is the best).

Originally published on 15min.lt

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