the meat jelly is a traditional romanian dish, always present in the winter holidays feasts. it can be made out of pork, turkey or chicken.
we chose the chicken option as it's the easiest to prepare and more economical.
ingredients:
- 4 chicken thighs
- 2-4 chicken wings
- 2 carrots
- 2-3 celeries
- 2 garlic cloves
- 20gr of gelatin
boil the chicken with a spoon of salt. the water should not be in excess. it should only just cover the chicken.
take out the foam and then add the carrot and the celeries.
boil the meat with the vegetables for 30 minutes until the meat falls off the bones. filter the soup and keep separately the meat and the juice.
mince the garlic and add it in the warm soup. the gelatin is mixed with 2 spoons of cold water and left like this until it hydrates.
after the garlic is well infused in the meat sauce (about 15 minutes), filter again the soup. then, add the hydrated gelatin and leave the pot with the soup over a low-intensity fire while constantly mixing until the gelatin is well dissolved. you must not boil the gelatin. only make sure that you warm up the soup.
let the soup cool down.
take the meat off the bones in smaller pieces (take the skin off, the bones and the joints), cut the carrot in small circles (if you want to use it).
place the carrot circles and the meat pieces in bowls.
pour the warm juice over the meat, let it cool completely at room temperature and then put it in the fridge until it's well firm.
turn the bowls upside down and serve with mustard, horseradish or other sauces.
bon apetit!