Polish Head Cheese
Recipe: #3160
November 27, 2011
Categories: Garlic, Onions, Picnic, Diabetic, Gluten-Free, High Protein, No Eggs, Non-Dairy, Sugar-Free, more
"I have 2 head cheese recipes I make regularly. This one is a Polish style head cheese. My dad was Native and French so I was raised with the French Canadian head cheese recipe. When I made this for the first time for my Polish husband he said it reminded him of a recipe his mom made but had a different consistency. I do also have Polish roots, so after asking around about the difference between the two, this is what I came up with. Hubby says it is just like his mom used to make."
Original is 12 servings
Ingredients
Nutritional
- Serving Size: 1 (42.9 g)
- Calories 35.2
- Total Fat - 2.4 g
- Saturated Fat - 0.8 g
- Cholesterol - 5.5 mg
- Sodium - 186.5 mg
- Total Carbohydrate - 1.7 g
- Dietary Fiber - 0.4 g
- Sugars - 0.6 g
- Protein - 1.7 g
- Calcium - 7.9 mg
- Iron - 0.2 mg
- Vitamin C - 1 mg
- Thiamin - 0.1 mg
Step by Step Method
Step 1
Place hocks in a large pot with onion, garlic and bay leaf and cover with water.
Step 2
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-high and continue to boil for a couple of hours adding water as needed, making sure hocks are always covered with liquid.
Step 3
Remove hocks and set aside.
Step 4
Strain the stock and return to pot.
Step 5
Allow meat to cool and remove all fat and bones, keeping the meat and flesh; cut meat and flesh into small pieces.
Step 6
Return to stock and add salt and pepper, allspice and nutmeg; you will need at least 3 cups of the stock.
Step 7
Boil until just a bit of liquid is left, about 3/4 of the way up the meat.
Step 8
Mix the contents of gelatine packets with the hot water until completely dissolved and pour into mixture.
Step 9
Pour into an empty 28 ounce can or in a jelly mould lined with plastic wrap and allow setting at least 8 hours.
Step 10
To release meat from can, flip can over and remove bottom of can with can opener and push out.
Step 11
Slice to desired thickness and serve.
Tips
No special items needed.
Editorial Notes
The ingredient tips, suggestions, variations, facts, questions and answers below are not edits to the original author's recipe. They are not meant to imply any change would improve the recipe. They're offered for convenience, alternative ideas, and points of interest. If you have any comments about them, please post in the Help & Ideas forum.
- For the pork hocks, make sure to select ones with a good amount of fat for the best flavor.
- If you don't have allspice, you can substitute with equal parts of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Instead of pork hocks, you can use pork ribs. The benefit of this substitution is that ribs are easier to find and don't require as much cooking time as hocks. This will save time in the preparation process.
- Instead of allspice, you can use a combination of ground cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The benefit of this substitution is that it will provide a more complex flavor profile, with the addition of cloves and cinnamon to the nutmeg.
Vegetarian Head Cheese Replace the pork hocks with 4 cups of diced potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions. Reduce the amount of boiling water to 1/2 cup and replace the gelatine with agar agar.
: Potato Salad
: Potato salad is the perfect accompaniment to Polish head cheese. It is light and creamy, providing a nice contrast to the savory, rich flavors of the head cheese. The potatoes also absorb the flavors of the head cheese, making a truly delicious dish.
: Cucumber Dill Salad
: Cucumber Dill Salad is a great accompaniment to Polish head cheese. The refreshing cucumbers, tangy dill, and creamy dressing provide a delicious contrast to the savory flavors of the head cheese. It is a light and flavorful dish that pairs perfectly with the head cheese.
FAQ
Q: How long does it take to make Polish Head Cheese?
A: It takes about 3 hours to make Polish Head Cheese, including boiling the hocks, cooling, cutting, and setting the gelatine.
Q: What ingredients are used to make Polish Head Cheese?
A: Polish Head Cheese typically uses pork hocks, onion, garlic, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and juniper berries. It is then set in a gelatin made from the pork hock broth.
1 Reviews
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Fun facts:
Polish head cheese is known as "salceson" in Poland and is a traditional cold cut served during Christmas and Easter. It's made of boiled pork hocks, spices and gelatine.
The Polish-American actor, John Cusack, is known to have enjoyed Polish head cheese as a child. He remembers his Polish-American grandmother making it for him and his siblings when they were young.