Proper cow bones to prepare holodets

Question

Holodets blues

Holodets is a typical Eastern Europe recipe. It is is basically a meat aspic, the gelatin being obtained from long boiling the bones and melting the connective tissue-collagen.

I tried to do holodets using cow bones (no pig feet, that one is easier).

My problem is that I can't figure out from the recipes which bone is used. It's mentioned as "hoof", "knee", "leg bone", etc. But there is no photograph and bone names vary from place to place.

I prepared the dish but the collagen content of the bones I used was not enough, so I ended up adding agar-agar, which I know is not needed if the bones are "the correct ones".

Can anyone to help me to identify the bones? A photograph should be the optimal answer!

NB> Please feel free to correct my English

Answer 1

The Russian lady that taught me how to make Kholodets used a chunk of femur.

She would simmer for at least 5 hours the bone with a good bit of meat still on it. As the broth cooled she would remove the meat from the bone, chop it and put it back into the pot along with a sizeable amount of sliced garlic.

After chilling in the fridge (usually overnight) she would remove the fat that accumulated on top and serve with a very khrenoviy mustard.

I'm sure that a joint would have worked just as well- it just wouldn't have as much usable meat.

I'm sorry I don't have pictures.

Answer 2

Not sure about Holodet. But a good source of making gelatin from meat is the knee bone with all the cartilage in it. I use it to make foot jelly (aka gala, galarita, ptcha). This is not the same as bones with marrow. AFAIK marrow is not a big source of cartilage. You do have to simmer at low heat for a long time to get the cartilage to dissolve. Don't try a rolling boil, it wont work.

Answer 3

I use, like my mother teached me, some bones named "garrón"in Argentina. She was from Polland. Are the "femur" bones. I don't use meat, chicken or pig. Only the bones, vegetables and spices. I put the cartilages and tendons, with slice of eggs and "ajo" and over these the soup. It must be cold to be eaten.