Kocsonyas

Jellied Pigs Feet.  This is called Kocsonyas in Hungarian (pronounced something like Koo-chi-n-ya).

This is a recipe similar to Pon Haus, a traditional Bavarian dish, but without the flour and much less work. No animal part would go to wasted in traditional cooking and often the hoofs and snouts, undesirable cuts offer up the most nourishing dishes.

Pig feet are full of gelatin an essential component to this recipe. Gelatin (real gelatin, not the boxed stuff in the grocery stores) is essential for good digestion, and absorption of nutrients in food. Most dishes traditionally were made with gelatin rich bone broths.

Ingredients:

2 pigs feet cut in half

2 pork hawks

Cider vinegar (1 tsp)

water

sea salt

bay leaf crushed garlic, 1 clove per cup

Directions:

Put pigs feet and pork hawks into large pot pour enough cold water in just to cover them and 1 teaspoon cider vinegar. Put the lid on, and bring to a simmer.

Skim any foam that floats up, and leave simmer for 6 hours up to 24 hours. A crock pot works great for this because the longer you simmer the better the gelatin is.

When ready remove strain reserving broth. Salt broth to taste. Pour into small containers with lids. Don't worry about the fat, add 1 crushed clove of garlic to each container and stir it around.

Now add one bay leaf to float on each container. Put in the fridge to set. Once cooled and solid they are ready.

Remove the fat that has accumulated at the top by scraping it off. Remove the bay leaf, and cut into small servings. These can be eaten as is, spread on buttered sourdough toast, or eaten for breakfast with eggs.