Queso de Cerdo

skycsil

Jedi Master
This is a cold meat whose name could be translated as "pork cheese" although is completely lactose and caseine free because, well... no milk involved. Not sure if this dish exist outide Latin America, but it's quite worthy a try. The commercial version is quite gross because it has lots of pork hair, and probabbly it's also loaded with preservatives, so I tried the home made version and it's infinitely better and healthier. Oh, and it's really really cheap to make!

Queso de Cerdo

Ingredients:

2 kilos (about 4 pounds) of pork hands (you can use the head too!)
Water, enough to make a nice broth
Vinegar, about 4 tablespoons but you can use some more if you enjoy the tartiness
Salt to taste
Herbs, spices and whatever vegetable you tolerate (don't forget the garlic!)

Preparation:

First of all you need to make a broth, the same way you always do but using the pork hands instead of just bones. Once the pork hands are really really soft, you'll notice that the skin will start to tear apart to the touch, that's the moment to start wotking on your queso de cerdo. You separate the meat from the bones, with lots of care because there are lots of tiny little bones that you don't want to chew inadvertly later. Dental health is important.
Now you have the meat without bones it's time to either chop it not too finely or to rip it with your bare hands. It will be really soft. At this point I throw the bones back to the broth and keep it simmering for a few more hours. Once this is all done you can add the vinegar, salt and seasoning. I used garlic, dehidrated onions and turmeric. The original recipe calls for diced boiled carrots and green beans, which I didn't use. I'll probabbly try black olives next time tho. You mix everything with a cup of the broth. At this point, your broth will be pretty much liquid gelatin, and this is what will keep everything together.
Now you can put the mix into a mold lined with foil. I used a plastic container. Anything that won't leak and can go to the fridge will do. It needs to be refrigerated for several hours until it's solid like the one in the photo attached, preferably 24 hours of fridge just to make sure. Once it's sturdy and solid you can turn it into a plate, slice and enjoy.
 

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That seems to be what they call "Pâté de Tête" (Head's paté) or "Fromage de Tête" (Head's cheese) here in France.
 
Yeah, I've had many variations of this. There's also a hot version that's very popular in the Caucasus that you eat like a hot soup - it cooks all night and is eaten the following day with lots of garlic cooked with it.
 
My mother told me of a Russian variation of this that her grandparents used to make. Basically, they would boil pork feet to extract the gelatin, and slow cook whatever kind of meat they had at hand, as well as whatever vegetables they had at hand. They would pour this mixture into a tray, which cools into a solid which can be sliced and taken to the fields as a mid-day snack. Personally, I couldn't handle it cold and solid because of the texture, but warming it up made it palatable. :P
 
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