William Penn Life, 2000 (35. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2000-08-01 / 8. szám
Treasured Recipes itli C^ließ XJilmoáWlL Give him a hand ...or afoot Talk about your lifesavers! I am a person who abhors violence in any form, but I was on the verge of inflicting serious harm on myself for failing to think of a topic for this month’s “Treasured Recipes” page. Then, Joe Petes’ letter landed on my desk. His article on kocsonya (at right) is the perfect follow up to our recent discussion about szalonna. < Thanks, Joe (and Mrs. Joe) for sharing the old family recipe. Kocsonya is another of those great Hungarian treats that remains a mystery to most folks. Unfortunately, as is the case with szalonna, a description of kocsonya is likely to garner a less than enthusiastic reaction from the uninitiated. All I can say is give it a chance. Oh, and a bit of advice to my dear readers who may try this recipe: save the torch for your next welding job. 7'ip of the Jviontfi If :fSu need only a couple of drops of lgrpj3yyufe|or a*,« .‘f'fi lemon wan the point, pfj^ s^rpjfpife and gently squeeze the jyii.ee, put. r By not cutting the lemon in half, it will stay fresher longer. Best foot forwardA reader recipe for a Hungarian treat by Joe Petes, Silver Spring, MD I have seen many articles about and references to the pleasures of "shootin' szalonna" in William Penn Life. It's time to pay some attention to "cookin' kocsonya." kocsonya—gelatinous pig's feet-is an incrEDIBLE iHungarian treat for fall or winter breakfast or luncheon eating. It will create new palpitations on your , palate! Kocsonya (pronounced KO-cho-nya) is easy to prepare and fun to eat. Although it takes about six hours to cook, preparation time is but a few minutes. And, if you like the hand-to-hand , combat of lobster eating, kocsonya provides you with a similar hand-to-foot (pig's foot, that is) dining experience. The following ingredients make six man-sized servings: 3 pig's feet, split in half lengthwise 3 heaping teaspoons of salt Vi teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon sweet red paprika 9 garlic cloves The pig's feet are available in most supermarkets already split. First singe both sides of the pig's feet halves over an open flame to a walnut brown. Your barbecue or hibachi grill is a good place to do this, but (would you believe it) I have used a small propane torch to do the job. Scrape off any excess charring and soot off the feet and rinse in cold water. Put the feet into a pot holding 5Vi quarts of water. Add the garlic, salt, pepper and paprika. Bring the water to a boil and then let it simmer for about 6 hours. Occasionally skim the fat that rises to the surface. After about 4Vi hours, check the level of the liquid. It should be at about the 4 quart level. If it is below this, add water; if it is above, lucky you—more kocsonya. After 6 hours of simmering, let the mixture cool a bit and make a final skimming. Place the pig's feet halves, cut part down, into six soup plates and ladle the liquid onto the plates. When sufficiently cool, put plates in the refrigerator to further cool and let the liquid gel. Now, as they say in Hungarian, jó étvágy—good appetite! The gelatin is firm and easily managed with a fork. The pig's feet, after all that cooking, are sufficiently soft to be tackled with a fork, but a steak knife is useful for prying apart the many bones in the feet. Don't waste time trying to cut the meat off the bones; take the separated bones in your fingers and chew them clean. A bite of meat, a forkful of gelatin and bite of rye breaddelicious! I have to give credit where credit is due. The above recipe is my wife's. It was handed down and passed on through generations in her family. I want YOUR treasured recipes Do you have a great recipe for a traditional Hungarian dish or a longtime family favorite? I would love to share it with all my readers. Just send your treasured recipe to: Chef Vilmos, do William Penn Association, 709 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. 12 Hilli» Penn Lile, August 2000
