Beef jelly
8 servings
60 minutes
Beef jelly is a traditional dish of Russian cuisine, characterized by a rich meat flavor and the aroma of spices. Its history dates back centuries when jelly was prepared as a nutritious dish for cold winter days. The secret to its preparation lies in the long boiling of beef shanks, which allows for a strong, aromatic broth that turns into a dense jelly upon cooling. Adding carrots, onions, and parsley gives it additional depth of flavor. The inclusion of boiled eggs adds an elegant pattern as it sets. Jelly is traditionally served with horseradish, mustard or sour cream sauce, as well as pickled vegetables, making it not only tasty but also aesthetically pleasing on the festive table.
1
Scald the shanks (beef legs and lips), cut into pieces, chop the bones, soak in cold water for 3-4 hours, scrub with a brush, rinse with clean cold water, place in a pot and cover with cold water, ensuring the water level is about 8-10 cm above the meat.
- Beef shanks: 3 kg
2
Add 1-2 pieces of carrot, onion, parsley, bay leaf, and a little pepper to 1 kg of fish. Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for 6-7 hours until the meat easily separates from the bones.
- Carrot: 2 pieces
- Onion: 2 pieces
- Parsley root: 2 pieces
- Bay leaf: 4 pieces
3
After boiling, remove the fat, pepper, and bay leaf from the surface, separate the meat from the bones, chop it or pass it through a meat grinder, and mix it with the strained broth.
4
After that, mix, add salt to taste, and pour into molds or deep dishes. When pouring into molds, you can add boiled eggs sliced into circles to the jelly. In this case, fill the mold only one-third full, let the jelly cool, arrange the egg slices in a row, pour jelly again, place the egg slices again, and so on.
- Salt: to taste
- Chicken egg: 6 pieces
5
Before serving, dip the mold in hot water, place the jelly on a plate, and decorate it with parsley sprigs. Serve the jelly with horseradish and vinegar, mustard, sour cream sauce with horseradish, as well as cucumbers and a salad of red and white cabbage.