Ukrainian Hog's Head (Head Cheese) Recipe

Directions:

1. Have the hog's head cut into quarters by the meat dealer.
2. Remove the brains, teeth, snout, and eyes, but retain the ears.
3. Cut off the fattest part of the head for lard. Scrape and wash each piece thoroughly. Wash, trim, scald, and skin the tongue.
4. Soak the meat in cold water to cover for 30 minutes to extract the blood.
5. Drain and wash again. Cover the meat with fresh cold water; add the salt, bring to a boil, and skim. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
6. Then add the remaining ingredients and continue cooking until the meat separates from the bones.
7. This will take about 5 hours or longer. Be sure to simmer the meat over a LOW heat during the entire period of cooking. Rapid boiling will make the meat stock milky in color.
8. Drain off the meat stock and save it.
9. Remove the onion, garlic, and spices. Pick out all the bones from the meat. Cut the meat into coarse pieces.
10. The stock may be flavoured with a freshly crushed clove of garlic and then strained.
11. Season the stock to taste.
12. If a firm jelly is desired, soften 1 tablespoon of gelatin in 1/4 cup of cold water and then stir into the hot stock.
13. Put the meat into a mold and add enough strained stock to cover it. Chill thoroughly. Remove the fat from the top. Serve in slices.