Pig trotter aspic - Kocsonya

Kocsonya, a savory homemade jello made from pig feet and legs, is a winter tradition in Hungary. The summer kitchen stays cold enough in the winter, that all counters can be covered with bowls of this jiggly delicacy. Here, we had to resort to emptying much of the fridge to stack the bowls. Eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner: it's a filling and flavorful meal. I typically have it for breakfast, topped with Hungarian piros arany (a type of hot sauce), red onions, and lemon juice, served with a side of crispy toast.

Ingredients

4 pig feet/legs

2-lb bone-in pork hock

1 lb pork shoulder

1 pig tail

1.25 gallon water

2-3 tbsp salt 

1 tbsp black peppercorn

4 bay leaves

2 large shallots

1 yellow onion

1 head of garlic

Preparation

Using a kitchen torch, burn any remaining hairs off the pork skin. Wash the meat pieces.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the meat pieces and boil for 5 minutes. Remove onto a plate. Clean the pot.

Add the meat pieces back into the pot. Cover with the water. The 1.25 gallons should cover the meat. Add the seasonings. Wash the garlic and shallots and add them whole. The color of the shallots will give the broth a lovely deep red tint.

Bring just barely to a boil and simmer for 6 hours. We used a thermometer to help with this, and kept the bubbles forming very slowly, with the top of the broth measuring 95 Centigrade. The pot never gets covered, so the broth remains clear.

When cooked, remove spices and onions. Discard.

Remove meat onto a separate plate. Strain the broth into a bowl and scoop off all the fat from the top.

Take the pork pieces and distribute the meat into 12-14 containers. I added some of the soft tendons and skin to my portions too. No bones though. Some Hungarians like it bone-in... not me.

Scoop the broth on top and sprinkle with paprika. Cool then refrigerate for up to two weeks. Serve with Hungarian red spice, onions, and crispy (not sweet!!!) toast.