The whole character of trotter soup comes from the long simmer: as the gelatine in the cartilage and bone passes into the liquid, the soup thickens by itself. No flour or starch is needed. The laborious part is not the cooking but the cleaning; trotters that are not cleaned properly will smell.
Ingredients
For the soup
For the egg-lemon thickening
For the garlic sauce
Method
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Clean the trotters
Wash the trotters in plenty of water and scrape off any remaining hair with a knife. Bring them to the boil once, throw that water away and rinse the pan.
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Simmer long
Cook in fresh water with the onion over a low heat for 3 hours. Top up with hot water if the level drops.
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Pick the meat
Lift out the trotters and strip the meat from the bones. Pass the stock through a fine sieve.
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Make the tempering mixture
Whisk the egg yolk, lemon juice and flour, then warm it by slowly adding hot liquid from the pan.
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Combine
Pour it in, stirring, return the meat and add the salt. Bring to the point of boiling and turn off the heat.
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Make the sauces
Crush the garlic with the vinegar. Melt the butter and stir in the pepper flakes. Both go on the table for people to add as they like.
Tips
- Always throw away the first boiling water. All of the smell stays in it.
- Setting like jelly when cold is normal, and in fact a good sign: it means the gelatine has come out. It loosens again when heated.
- Do not put the garlic and vinegar in the pan; let everyone add their own at the table.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.