Holodetz (aspic)

Holodetz

This is a much-loved dish in the family, and it’s ubiquitous at Russian celebrations. It’s hardly a party without one. Holodetz is called holodetz (studen’ or cholodetz or p’tcha) because it’s served cold, as in frozen, and the root of all those Russian words is “cold”.
In my attempt to learn how to cook dishes I grew up with, I thought it was about time I learned to make this one, and I gave it a go for our New Year’s celebration this year. (Yes, it’s been a while, but I still have a bit of a backlog of posts and this is one of them.) I always thought that making holodetz is difficult or complicated or time consuming or just plain confusing. It’s none of the above! And if you’re not afraid to sleep with your stove on, it’s even easier.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this deliciousness, think of it as beef stock that has frozen in the fridge. Which is exactly what it is. You’re probably more familiar with this in the form of chicken stock when it comes out of the fridge or freezer looking a little gelatinous. This is the same thing but made with beef. But if I describe it as “meat jelly” most Americans I know say “ewwww, no thanks”. When I describe it as “frozen stock”, people say “oh, interesting… I’ll try that”.

Ingredients:
1 small-ish leg of beef (ask your butcher or check out ethnic markets in your area)
1 TB of black peppercorns
2-3 bay leaves
1 lb of meat (I only had 2 chicken thighs so that’s what I used but I should have used more)
1 large carrot (which I forgot to add)
1 onion cut in half (which I also forgot)
Salt (lots and lots, more than you think is necessary, but it won’t taste salty after it’s set and frozen)
Garlic, finely minced (a lot, I used a whole head of garlic, but could have used even more)

Steps:
1. Soak the bones in a large bowl for 4-8 hours
2. Place bones in a large pot with lot and lots of water. Add peppercorns, salt, bay leaves, carrot, and onion (though I forgot them and hence they’re not in pictures). Let cook for 8-10 hours or so. You’ll know that the beef bones are done when you can see the meat separate from the bones and the cartilage separate from the meat. I know it’s not precise, but if you’re gonna cook it overnight, water will evaporate and you’ll need lots to start with. So, an approximation based on what I had would be a few gallons per pound of meat. This is an imprecise recipe.
* A note about salt. You want the soup a little too salty while it’s cooking because when it’s done and frozen, it will taste just right. If you salt the soup and it tastes good (not too salty), the final dish will be under-salted and a bit bland.

3. Add the other meats (I used the chicken thighs and not enough of them) and let cook just till the meat is done.
4. Cut up/shred the meat, the separated cartilage, and finely mince garlic. Add this to your serving dishes (I used glass baking dishes so I could take pictures, but soup plates or other dishes are great for this purpose).
5. Pour the soup through a sieve (you don’t want the peppercorns in the final dish).
6. Let sit and transfer to the fridge to freeze. At this point (before it freezes) is when people typically add things like boiled eggs or sliced cooked carrots, but I didn’t feel like it so I didn’t.
Serve cold with mustard or horseradish.

Beef Bones for Holodetz

Cooking Holodetz

Holodetz after 10 hrs cooking with spices. Notice how much water evaporated

Meat and garlic for holodetz

Cartilage for holodetz

Sieving holodetz