The Homemade Simmental is truly an excellent cold dish, to be enjoyed almost all year round: from spring to autumn. It is a recipe that requires a little patience but no cooking skills.
Using the pressure cooker also saves a lot of time and money, because cooking times are significantly halved. But if you don’t have one, no problem because it will just take more time in cooking, while the procedure will remain unchanged.
Definitely healthier than the industrial one we find on supermarket shelves, because it obviously contains no chemical additives or preservatives. After years of trials, I’ve managed to get incredibly close to its original flavor, preparing it only with natural ingredients. Let’s be honest, Simmental is nothing more than a concentrated broth, where the many tendons with which the meat is cooked produce a kind of jelly that has nothing to do with gelatin.
For those who want to clear any doubts about the pressure cooker and start using it, I recommend reading my article: The pressure cooker and its use
If you love the pressure cooker, here are some recipe links:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: for 4 people
- Cooking methods: Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
Ingredients
- 21 oz beef shank
- 9 oz beef/veal tendons
- 4.2 cups water
- to taste salt
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 onion
- 1 tsp heaping marjoram
- 1 tsp heaping tomato paste
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 large egg
Tools
- 4 Molds
- 1 Pressure Cooker
- Bowl
- Spatula
- Strainer
- Plastic wrap
How to prepare Homemade Simmental
Place the meat inside the pressure cooker (to facilitate cooking, we can cut it into pieces), along with the tendons, basic vegetables after cleaning and peeling them but leaving them whole.
Add the tomato paste, marjoram, all the necessary water, salt, and stir as much as we can.
Close the pot with a pressure-sealing lid, put it on high heat, and as soon as we hear a loud whistle, lower it to the minimum and let it cook for about an hour and a half. While the meat cooks, boil an egg, the carrots, and as soon as they are ready, let them cool well first at room temperature and then in the fridge. Once the necessary time has passed, turn off and let it cool or at least warm. Put the meat in a large bowl with high edges and crumble it as much as we can with our hands. Finally, strain the cooking liquid over it.
If using the traditional cooking method, once it starts boiling, lower the heat and calculate about three hours of cooking or otherwise check until the meat has softened.
At this point, slice both the hard-boiled eggs and the carrots and line our molds. I usually put the egg on the bottom and line the sides with the carrots, but we can also avoid all this because the goodness of the recipe does not lie in the decoration. In fact, I usually prepare them this way only when I decide to serve the Simmental to my guests. Now evenly distribute the meat in the molds mixed with the liquid and finish with an extra layer of liquid.
Cover with plastic wrap and let cool in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Take the Simmental out at least half an hour before serving it, so it reaches the right temperature to be enjoyed. Gently detach the meat from the edges of the mold with the help of a spatula and flip it directly onto a plate.
Serve our Homemade Simmental, accompanying it with the vegetables we prefer, raw or cooked will surely go well.
Tips and storage:
You can store the Simmental in the refrigerator for at least three days, but sealed tightly in a container or in its own steel molds.
Be sure to avoid both aluminum and plastic, as they would release chemicals.
It can also be frozen, either with or without decorations.
Remember to defrost it slowly in the refrigerator, so it is not attacked by bacteria that could make it harmful to our health.
I usually prepare the Simmental the day before to make sure it has solidified well.
