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Calves Foot Jelly
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Brooklyn1
Feb 22, 2015, 6:13:11 PM2/22/15
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I've had this in my recipe file, if anyone is interested:
http://www.jewishsf.com/bk970103/cook.htm
Calves foot jelly, anyone? On-the-hoof route to aspic
By Zillah Bahar I want to thank my readers who went to the trouble of
educating me about calves foot jelly over the last month. Some of you
really got into a big hoof over the matter at hand. Martin Ross' query
touched off a wave of nostalgia. I'd like to share one of the most
interesting and informative pieces of correspondence I received
regarding calves foot jelly. This one is from Shirley Ginzburg, who
describes herself as a "faithful reader," my favorite kind. Ginzburg
writes, in part: "I wanted to put in `my two cents' on the subject of
p'cha (or as your correspondent Martin Ross spelled it, pitzeh). "If
you verbalize his phonetics, you will hear it as I spelled it above,
or as `petchah', which is how you will find it in Jewish cookbooks
published in America during the 1920s through '40s. "He recalls
chicken legs (more precisely the feet) were used to create the
calcium-rich broth which when chilled, gelatinized like an aspic. The
eggs were most likely boiled then floated in the aspic (same as we use
unflavored gelatin today). When the cold dish was unmolded and sliced,
the garlicky aspic with cooked egg and bits of boiled meat made a
lovely appetizer. "The recipes I have seen call for calves feet to
create the aspic. "Today we have difficulty getting the soft young
veal bones which when boiled down, give a sturdy aspic. Oh well. Use
chicken feet. Or commercial gelatin packets."Truth to tell, my
Russian-born grandmother made this dish once in awhile, and I know my
mom did rarely. We kids didn't care for it much, and the dish was
something of a nuisance to make. "To our forbears, it was a fine
source of calcium/protein with a meat-garlic flavor. A cheap way to
feel one had `meat at the meal' when other cuts were too costly. "I've
included a recipe for this traditional Jewish dish from "The New
Complete International Jewish Cookbook" by Evelyn Rose. She notes that
each community of European Jews has a different name for calves foot
jelly: Fusnogge (Yiddish), Ptchia (Russian), Sulze (German)."It is a
perfect example," writes Rose, "of the ability of the Jewish cook to
make a specialty dish from humble ingredients.
"CALVES FOOT JELLY"
Serves 6-8
2 calves feet, with cold water to cover them
1 large onion, peeled
1 fat clove garlic, peeled
3 bay leaves
1 level tsp. black peppercorns
2 level tsp. salt
2 Tbs. lemon juice (or cider vinegar, if preferred)
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
Garnish:lemon quarters
tomato
watercress
It's easiest to use an oval, heat-proof casserole in which the cleaned
feet can be laid without having to saw them up. Put in the feet, cover
with cold water and bring to a boil on top of the stove. Simmer for 10
minutes, then, using a wet spoon, skim off the froth. Add the onion,
garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt. Cover and simmer gently for
a further hour, either on top of the stove or in the oven. Skim once
more, partially cover, and continue to simmer for a further 2-1/2 to 3
hours, or until the gristle and meat come away from the bone.Lift out
the bones and any meat attached to them and set aside. Strain the
liquid into a bowl, then return to the washed pan, together with the
lemon juice and the meat, cut into 3/8-inch cubes. Bring once more to
the boil, them remove from heat. To set the jelly: Rose uses a French
paté dish, 9 by 5 by 3 inches, but a loaf tin of similar size is just
as good, particularly if you wish to turn it out for slicing. Pour
half the liquid into the dish, and leave in the refrigerator until it
begins to set. Arrange a layer of the sliced hard-boiled egg on top,
and spoon over the remaining mixture, including the meat. Chill
overnight in the refrigerator until firm. Slices can be cut from the
dish, or the jelly can be turned out on a platter and decorated with
water cress, tomatoes and lemon wedges.
Zillah Bahar is an East Bay editor and food writer. Her columns
alternate with those of San Francisco food writer Betty Newman.
Readers are welcome to send kosher recipes, cooking tips and story
ideas to Bahar or Newman, c/o the Bulletin. Bahar also can be reached
at (510) 237-5441 or at her Internet address: zb...@sirius.com
http://www.jewishsf.com/bk970103/cook.htm
Calves foot jelly, anyone? On-the-hoof route to aspic
By Zillah Bahar I want to thank my readers who went to the trouble of
educating me about calves foot jelly over the last month. Some of you
really got into a big hoof over the matter at hand. Martin Ross' query
touched off a wave of nostalgia. I'd like to share one of the most
interesting and informative pieces of correspondence I received
regarding calves foot jelly. This one is from Shirley Ginzburg, who
describes herself as a "faithful reader," my favorite kind. Ginzburg
writes, in part: "I wanted to put in `my two cents' on the subject of
p'cha (or as your correspondent Martin Ross spelled it, pitzeh). "If
you verbalize his phonetics, you will hear it as I spelled it above,
or as `petchah', which is how you will find it in Jewish cookbooks
published in America during the 1920s through '40s. "He recalls
chicken legs (more precisely the feet) were used to create the
calcium-rich broth which when chilled, gelatinized like an aspic. The
eggs were most likely boiled then floated in the aspic (same as we use
unflavored gelatin today). When the cold dish was unmolded and sliced,
the garlicky aspic with cooked egg and bits of boiled meat made a
lovely appetizer. "The recipes I have seen call for calves feet to
create the aspic. "Today we have difficulty getting the soft young
veal bones which when boiled down, give a sturdy aspic. Oh well. Use
chicken feet. Or commercial gelatin packets."Truth to tell, my
Russian-born grandmother made this dish once in awhile, and I know my
mom did rarely. We kids didn't care for it much, and the dish was
something of a nuisance to make. "To our forbears, it was a fine
source of calcium/protein with a meat-garlic flavor. A cheap way to
feel one had `meat at the meal' when other cuts were too costly. "I've
included a recipe for this traditional Jewish dish from "The New
Complete International Jewish Cookbook" by Evelyn Rose. She notes that
each community of European Jews has a different name for calves foot
jelly: Fusnogge (Yiddish), Ptchia (Russian), Sulze (German)."It is a
perfect example," writes Rose, "of the ability of the Jewish cook to
make a specialty dish from humble ingredients.
"CALVES FOOT JELLY"
Serves 6-8
2 calves feet, with cold water to cover them
1 large onion, peeled
1 fat clove garlic, peeled
3 bay leaves
1 level tsp. black peppercorns
2 level tsp. salt
2 Tbs. lemon juice (or cider vinegar, if preferred)
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
Garnish:lemon quarters
tomato
watercress
It's easiest to use an oval, heat-proof casserole in which the cleaned
feet can be laid without having to saw them up. Put in the feet, cover
with cold water and bring to a boil on top of the stove. Simmer for 10
minutes, then, using a wet spoon, skim off the froth. Add the onion,
garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt. Cover and simmer gently for
a further hour, either on top of the stove or in the oven. Skim once
more, partially cover, and continue to simmer for a further 2-1/2 to 3
hours, or until the gristle and meat come away from the bone.Lift out
the bones and any meat attached to them and set aside. Strain the
liquid into a bowl, then return to the washed pan, together with the
lemon juice and the meat, cut into 3/8-inch cubes. Bring once more to
the boil, them remove from heat. To set the jelly: Rose uses a French
paté dish, 9 by 5 by 3 inches, but a loaf tin of similar size is just
as good, particularly if you wish to turn it out for slicing. Pour
half the liquid into the dish, and leave in the refrigerator until it
begins to set. Arrange a layer of the sliced hard-boiled egg on top,
and spoon over the remaining mixture, including the meat. Chill
overnight in the refrigerator until firm. Slices can be cut from the
dish, or the jelly can be turned out on a platter and decorated with
water cress, tomatoes and lemon wedges.
Zillah Bahar is an East Bay editor and food writer. Her columns
alternate with those of San Francisco food writer Betty Newman.
Readers are welcome to send kosher recipes, cooking tips and story
ideas to Bahar or Newman, c/o the Bulletin. Bahar also can be reached
at (510) 237-5441 or at her Internet address: zb...@sirius.com
Kalmia
Feb 23, 2015, 9:24:10 AM2/23/15
to
Flashback!!
I read some book as a kid wherein the heroine was asked to deliver a jar of calves foot jelly to a shut-in. This is THE first mention made of it I've even encountered.
Oh, but I bet La BOVE will have a tale tho........ maybe even a bit of doggerel?
(Calf? Cow? Bovine? Get it?)
Cheri
Feb 23, 2015, 12:04:35 PM2/23/15
to
"Kalmia" <tween...@mypacks.net> wrote in message
news:f1597083-e2ed-41bd...@googlegroups.com...
Cheri
itsjoan...@webtv.net
Feb 25, 2015, 12:20:48 AM2/25/15
to
On Monday, February 23, 2015 at 8:24:10 AM UTC-6, Kalmia wrote:
>
> Flashback!!
>
> I read some book as a kid wherein the heroine was asked to deliver a jar of calves foot jelly to a shut-in. This is THE first mention made of it I've even encountered.
>
>
The book or perhaps the movie "Pollyanna"?
>
> Flashback!!
>
> I read some book as a kid wherein the heroine was asked to deliver a jar of calves foot jelly to a shut-in. This is THE first mention made of it I've even encountered.
>
>
ravi...@gmail.com
Jan 3, 2018, 8:45:50 AM1/3/18
to
joellan...@gmail.com
Nov 22, 2018, 10:02:38 AM11/22/18
to
Nancy2
Nov 22, 2018, 11:24:32 AM11/22/18
to
I have read about it in numerous books of fiction, about people in the UK. I have always thought it is the same as
a condensed (simmered.or boiled down beef stock, aka consommé). It is supposedly a "mild fix" for
someone who needs their strength back after being ill with something like the flu.
N.
Ophelia
Nov 22, 2018, 11:57:43 AM11/22/18
to
"Nancy2" wrote in message
news:99727220-bd72-4a73...@googlegroups.com...
Not something I have ever done:)))
Joel Ignited Carp
Nov 22, 2018, 1:34:13 PM11/22/18
to
On Sunday, 22 February 2015 23:13:11 UTC, Brooklyn1 wrote:
I was working in my father's deli the other day when an elderly man came in and asked me for some feace/putcha. Needless to say I had no clue what the devil he was after. When my father informed me of calf's foot jelly I was intrigued to say the least. In all my 30 years of life I had never heard of this classic Yiddish dish. If anyone knows any history about the dish, or has a connection with it in any way, I'd love to hear more. I tried the recipe above but my mother disapproved, so I'd also love to see another if you know of one.
Thanks!
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