Pork aspic

Profile#

This is the most labour-intensive recipe on this blog so far. I love it, but it’s complicated and I’ve never dared to try it myself. So I asked my friend Walter to cook it with me so I could document the process and make it on my own later without any help. As I said, it’s a bit of a faff, but it’s worth it and you’ll have enough to last about two months. The well-known Weck jars, which you can reuse time and time again, are particularly suitable.

Ingredients#

For the stock#

• A large saucepan
• 2 pork knuckles
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp dill seeds
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 2 tsp peppercorns
• 2–3 tsp salt (to taste)
• 2 litres of chicken or pork stock (can be instant)
• Water to cover the knuckles completely

Otherwise#

• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 pointed pepper
• 1 large chilli
• 4 tbsp capers
• button mushrooms
• gherkins
• 2 packets of gelatine

Let’s go#

First of all, here’s the first ingredient: some pork stock that Walter still had. There’s about 700ml, but you could also use 2 litres of instant chicken stock or pork stock:

Heat the stock in a large saucepan and add the spices.

Here are the two pork knuckles we’re cooking whole:

Rinse the knuckles, place them in a large saucepan and cover completely with water. Bring to the boil on the hob. Leave the knuckles to simmer gently for just under 2 hours. Skim the foam off the stock regularly.

Now it’s time to prepare the other ingredients for the aspic.
We’ve decided on three different variations. The first variation consists of chilli, peppers and spring onions:

There’s also one with capers, gherkins and carrots. And another with mushrooms, peppers and onions, which you could already call a classic. Depending on what’s left over, there might be another one too.

After 2 hours, remove the shanks, take out the bones and place the shanks in the fridge, covered with a cloth. The cloth prevents the meat from drying out.

The stock must now be skimmed thoroughly, as it should be clear and not too greasy when finished.

It is then strained through a sieve into a new saucepan.

What remains is a clear broth:

The vegetables should be chopped into very small, even pieces. We left the chillies until last.

Remove the fat from the meat and cut the knuckles into small pieces.

Now comes the final ingredient: gelatine. As you can see here, it is available in clear sheets or as granules:

According to the instructions on the packet, you need 12 leaves for 1 litre of liquid:

Soak the leaves in a little cold water for 5 minutes. We have about 2 litres of liquid, which we divide into portions of 0.5 litres each. This works out at 6 leaves per 0.5 litres.

Finally, we want to preserve the aspic in jars like these:

To sterilise them, pour boiling water into them (pour boiling water over the lid as well) and leave them to stand for 2–3 minutes.

Now it’s time to get started with the actual preparation. We measure out 0.5 litres of stock, bring it to the boil, and add the vegetables and a little meat.

Season the mixture again with salt. It should be almost too salty, as the gelatine will tone down the saltiness slightly. Add the softened gelatine and stir continuously until it has dissolved.

And so it continues for all the different variants:

The last one here contained the leftovers of all the vegetables, but it still tastes great:

Pour the water out of the preserving jars and fill each one with the mixture. It’s best to do this in layers: start with something solid, then top up with stock, and add another layer of solids. It is crucial for the shelf life that no air pockets form. The jar should also be filled to the brim. With as little air as possible, it will keep for the longest. Then put the lid on and leave everything to cool:

We misjudged the amount of stock. It turned out to be more than 2 litres, but that doesn’t matter. You can also pour it into sterilised jars and use it later, for example for ramen:

In total, we ended up with the following:

• 3 x 233ml chilli – peppers – spring onions – meat
• 3 x 233ml capers – gherkins – carrots – meat
• 4 x 200ml mushrooms – carrots – onions – meat
• 2 x 300ml mushrooms - carrots - onions
• 1.5 litres stock

Served with fried potatoes and a homemade remoulade, this makes a perfect dinner: