Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie

We are constantly looking for new and interesting recipes and we forget about the simple and basic ones, such as this turkey jelly recipe. Many times when we visit my mother-in-law or my sisters-in-law in Chisinau, they serve us this turkey or chicken meat jelly.

I usually make a combination. I buy a turkey leg (the drumstick, bone-in) and chicken gizzards, as they are smaller and don't need cutting or slicing. I learned this little trick from my mother-in-law: use some pork rind too. It's so good in the jelly, even the children look for it and, in addition, it helps the jelly keep its shape. I don't use gelatin at all, it's the gizzards and the rind which make my jelly very firm.

You can garnish with vegetables and boiled egg, the children specifically searched for it in the jelly. You can also use quail eggs cut into halves, placed colored side up. At the end, in the last step, you will find a piece of advice and a simple recipe, horseradish and sour cream sauce for aspic and more!

Ingredients
Turkey leg
1 piece
can be replaced with 2 chicken legs
Turkey stomach
300 g
I'd say it's better to use chicken gizzards, they are smaller and look nicer in the jelly
Pork skin
200 g
optional
Yellow onion
1 piece
Laurel leaves
2 pieces
Whole black pepper
5 pieces
Garlic cloves
5 pieces
Salt
1 tbsp
to taste
Carrots
1 piece
you can boil it together with the meat; you can also use potatoes, boiled eggs - for garnishing
Step by step
Step 1

Here you can see the turkey leg and the gizzards. In this picture, it's turkey gizzards, but I still think that the chicken ones are better in aspic.

Wash well and even keep in cold water for 2-3 hours, for a clearer jelly at the end.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 1
Step 2

This is the rind I bought from a better butcher's shop. It's easy to find in the winter.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 2
Step 3

If I can't find it at the butcher's, I go to the shops selling all kinds of Sibiu sausages and I buy a piece of rind such as this one, it's also a little salty.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 3
Step 4

Make sure you wash it well and clean with a knife the extra fat and the impurities.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 4
Step 5

If you have a larger piece, cut into 2-3 smaller ones, roll them up.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 5
Step 6

Now, we take a large 5 liter pot, place the meat and the gizzards inside, add the rind - if you have.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 6
Step 7

Pour in cold water, just enough to cover the meat, no more!

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 7
Step 8

Place over heat. When it starts to foam, skim it off and discard.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 8
Step 9

Turn the heat to low, cover with a lid and let the jelly simmer gently for 2 hours.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 9
Step 10

After 2 hours, add 1 large onion, 1 bay leaf, pepper and 1 tablespoon of salt to the pot.

Let boil slowly for another 1 hour - be very careful, the aspic now only needs to bubble slightly, not to boil intensely!

Tip! The pleasant and whole taste of meat comes precisely from this slow and long-lasting cooking. I wouldn't recommend using a pressure cooker to boil the jelly!

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 10
Step 11

This is what the stock looks like after 3 hours of boiling.

If it's rooster or pork, I cook it for 4-5 hours, but for turkey and chicken, 3 hours are enough.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 11
Step 12

Now turn off the heat, leave the pot covered and forget about the jelly for another 2 hours (yes, no fire!)

Sitting like this in the pot, the stock will infuse even better with all the flavors.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 12
Step 13

After 2 hours, drain the cooking juice from the pot into a large bowl.

Leave it on the table, as well as the meat in the pot, to cool properly.

This is just so that you can work easily and distribute the meat into the plates without burning yourself. The stock shouldn't be hot either when you put the garlic in, it will only scald the garlic and make it taste bad.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 13
Step 14

Now that the stock is cooled, you can add in the garlic crushed with the press.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 14
Step 15

Mix well and season with salt if needed.

I know from my mother that the jelly must be a bit saltier, right on the verge, otherwise it will be tasteless because the meat also takes in the salt. When it settles, you'll see that it will be perfectly good.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 15
Step 16

Distribute bits of meat, the gizzards and the rind rolls (cut into smaller pieces) into shallow plates.

I make about 3-4 large plates from these quantities - of course, you can make small shapes, boxes etc.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 16
Step 17

With a ladle, pour the stock through a small sieve straight into the plates - so that you don't have pieces of garlic and impurities in your jelly.

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 17
Step 18

You can garnish with slices of boiled eggs, carrots, potatoes etc.

Place the jelly to settle in the fridge, then cover with cling film so that the whole fridge won't smell like aspic :)

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 18
Step 19

Garnish with greens right before serving, the jelly plates will look more vivid.

It's even tastier with a horseradish sauce with sour cream next to it. For this, combine in a bowl 2 tablespoons of sour cream with 2-3 tablespoons of grated horseradish (which comes grated, in vinegar, in shops) and salt to taste.

Good aspic is like a work of art - there is no need for many sophisticated ingredients but for some time dedicated to this and every step done correctly!

Enjoy!

Turkey Meat Jelly - Romanian Piftie - Step 19
Quantity: 2 kg (2-3 large plates)
Prep time:
300 min
Difficulty: intermediate
Ready in: 240 min