It consists largely of water and gelatine, so is of little nutritional value.
Boil the calfs feet, that have been nicely cleaned, and the hoofs taken off; when the feet are boiled to pieces, strain the liquor through a colander, and when cold, take all the grease off, and put the jelly in a skillet, leaving the dregs which will be at the bottom. There should be from four feet, about two quarts of jelly: pour into it the white wine, the juice of the lemons strained from the seeds, powdered loaf sugar, a little pounded cinnamon and mace, and the rind thinly pared from two of the lemons; wash the eggs very clean, whip up the whites to a froth, crush the shells and put with them, mix it with the jelly, set it on the fire, stir it occasionally till the jelly is melted, but do not touch it afterwards. When it has boiled till it looks quite clear on one side, and the dross accumulates on the other, take off carefully the thickest part of the dross, and pour the jelly in the bag; put back what runs through, until it becomes quite transparent; then set a pitcher under the bag, and put a cover all over to keep out the dust: the jelly looks much prettier when it is broken to fill the glasses. The bag should be made of cotton or linen, and be suspended in a frame made for the purpose. The feet of hogs make the palest coloured jelly; those of sheep are a beautiful amber-colour, when prepared.
In 1867 Manchester was no longer a frontier town. Residents had access to groceries and dry goods and even imported ingredients like lemons and spices. So what did they cook?
An idea can be gained by reading The Virginia Housewife from 1860. It is full of recipes, some nearly identical to recipes we cook today, others, like calfs feet jelly seem very foreign. Browse recipes that would have been familiar to Manchesters residents 150 years ago at http://www.vintagerecipes.net/books/virginia_housewife/.
Is there a difference between stock and broth?
Educated chefs often use the terms interchangeably, but health enthusiasts further divide this amazing liquid into three terms – broth, stock and bone broth.
- Broth is typically made with meat and a small amount of bone. It is simmered for a short period of time (45 minutes to 2 hours) and is very light in flavor, thin in texture and rich in protein.
- Stock is typically made with meaty bones. The bones are often roasted before simmering them to improve the flavor. Simmered for a moderate amount of time (3 to 8 hours), stock is rich in minerals and gelatin.
- Bone Broth is typically made with bones which have only a small amount of meat adhering to the bones. As with stock, bones are typically roasted first to improve the flavor of the bone broth. Bone broths are simmered along with an acid such as apple cider vinegar for a very long period of time (often in excess of 24 hours). This long cooking time helps to remove as many minerals and nutrients as possible from the bones. At the end of cooking, the minerals have leached from the bones and into the broth.
Calf’s foot jelly
FAQ
What is calves foot jelly used for?
What is the jelly in Pollyanna?
What is calf foot?
What is foot gelatin?
How do you make calves foot jelly?
To make calves foot jelly, follow these step-by-step instructions: Thoroughly rinse calves’ feet with water and place them in a stockpot with enough water to cover. Bring the vessel to a boil and remove any scum that appears on the top. Drain the calves’ feet and cover them again with a change of cold water. Bring to a boil again.
What is calfs foot jelly used for?
Calfs foot jelly was also served as medicine to the sick and elderly as it was believed to have healing properties. Its popularity in England began to emerge in the 18th century, where it was often served at banquets and dinner parties.
What can I add to calf’s foot jelly?
One alternative variation of calf’s foot jelly is adding fruit juices such as apple or grape juice to the broth before adding sugar and lemon juice. This gives the jelly a fruity and refreshing taste. Another alternative is to add alcohol such as port or sherry to the mixture.
How do you Colour a calf’s feet jelly?
The jelly would be coloured with natural food dyes such as spinach, beetroot juice or a saffron infusion. This recipe appeared in the post ‘Take a gang of calf’s-feet’ on November 28, 2012. Have you tried this recipe?