Galette (meat aspic) on a white plate. Recipe No 20 in my 1920s cookbook ‘The Art of Cooking and Baking’ is pork aspic (Piglet’s galette). The original recipe leaves a lot to the imagination: “Take 5 lbs. from the front of a suckling pig, cut into cubes, wash and place in cold water. The water just covers the meat; add the necessary salt, pepper, 1 bay leaf, 1 celery and 10 pepper berries. Simmer the aspic until the meat is tender. The bowls or moulds for the aspic should be moistened and lined with carrot roses and parsley leaves. Place the meat skin side down in the mould, then strain the soup through a sieve. The soup is then strained through a linen cloth and poured over the meat. Place in a cold place to set. Turn the bowls over and serve with mustard and vinegar.
Ingredients:
- 2 pigs
- 1 kg pork bones
- 2 carrots
- 2 onions
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 10 peppercorns
- 10 allspice berries
- horseradish, mustard or vinegar for serving.
Cooking:
- Place the leg chops and bones in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Boil for a few minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat, pour off the water and rinse the pot. Return the meat to the pot, add the carrot, peeled onion, bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours. The volume of the liquid will reduce considerably and it will begin to thicken.
- Strain the liquid and keep it in reserve, it should be well cooked as it should be slightly salty to taste.
- Separate all the meat from the bones and cut into pieces.
- Place the meat in small bowls. Boiled carrots and green peas can be placed in the bottom of the bowl to add colour to the dish. Pour over the reserved cooking liquid.
- Place the bowls in the fridge and let them stand overnight.
- When ready to serve, place a plate on top of the bowl and turn it over. Serve with horseradish, mustard or vinegar.
