Jellied Piglet
8 servings
120 minutes
The aspic piglet is a luxurious dish of Russian cuisine that dates back to ancient festive traditions. Its preparation requires patience and skill, resulting in tender meat enriched with the aromas of roots and spices, encased in clear jelly. Historically, such a dish symbolized abundance and the mastery of hosts, adorning ceremonial feasts. The taste of aspic piglet is rich and intense with a slight spicy note from bay leaves and cloves. It is served chilled and garnished with herbs, carrots, and lemon, while a horseradish and sour cream sauce adds zest. This dish is perfect for a festive table, impressing not only with its flavor but also with its presentation that highlights its ceremonial nature.
1
If there is bristle on the piglet, burn it with a spirit lamp, then wash and gut it.
- Piglet: 2.5 kg
2
Before cooking the piglet, cut it into parts: remove the head, and slice the body across at the kidney area (each half can also be cut lengthwise along the spine).
3
Place the chopped piglet in a pot, cover with cold water, add salt, add peeled roots and onion, cover the pot with a lid, and set to boil. The piglet can also be boiled whole in a pot or cauldron. In this case, the vertebra at the neck should be cut along the inside to the meat. When the water boils, remove the foam and continue to cook on low heat for 40-50 minutes.
- Onion: 1 piece
- Parsley root: 1 piece
4
Remove the cooked piglet onto a plate, cover with a damp cloth, and chill.
5
Put the broth obtained from boiling the piglet on the fire, add pepper, bay leaf, clove, and bring to a boil; then add gelatin, previously soaked in cold water, and, stirring, bring to a boil again, then strain the broth through a cloth.
- Gelatin: 30 g
6
Cut the chilled piglet into portioned pieces and arrange them on a plate with 1/2 cm gaps; decorate the pieces with half circles of boiled egg, sprigs of parsley, slices of boiled carrot, or lemon.
- Carrot: 1 piece
7
Pour the piglet with prepared jelly just like the pike perch. Chill overnight. Serve separately with horseradish sauce with sour cream or horseradish with vinegar.