On Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 6:13:11 PM UTC-5, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> 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:

We ate Putcha but my Latvian mother called it Putza. It is the same as Russian holodetz but not made with pigs feet. It was the most revolting thing I was ever forced to eat! Norman Ravitch, email: