Kholodets (Aspic)

Rinse and trim the meats: place the Pork Feet, Pork Hock and Beef Shank in a large pot, cover with cold Water, bring to a rolling boil for a few minutes to blanch, then drain and rinse the bones and pot to remove impurities.

Return the blanched meats to the pot and cover with fresh Water; add the peeled and halved Onion and Carrot, several Bay Leaves, a tablespoon of Black Peppercorns and a generous pinch (or to taste) of Fine Salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim foam occasionally, and cook very gently for 4–6 hours until the meat is falling off the bone and the broth is rich and slightly gelatinous.

When the stock is deeply flavored, remove the meats and vegetables and strain the broth through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a clean pot; taste and adjust seasoning with more salt if needed, and if the liquid seems weak, simmer briefly to reduce and concentrate it.

Allow the meats to cool until you can handle them, then pick the meat from the bones, discarding excess fat, skin and gristle; chop or shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, preserving any jelly-like bits for texture.

Arrange the chopped meat in shallow molds or a single baking dish and sprinkle with chopped Parsley for color and freshness.

Crush or very finely mince a few cloves of Garlic with a little salt to make a paste, stir this into a small cup of warm strained broth, then taste and adjust the garlic-broth mixture before adding to the molds if you like a garlicky note.

Pour the strained broth over the meat in the molds until the pieces are just covered; let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 6–12 hours (overnight is best) until fully set.

To unmold, briefly dip the bottom of the mold in warm water to loosen, invert onto a serving platter, and garnish with additional chopped parsley and a few decorative pieces of meat if desired.

Serve chilled, accompanied by grated Horseradish and sharp Mustard on the side so each person can add bright, spicy contrast to the rich aspic.