Do you have cold feet?

   OK, are you ready for this? It's only for people with strong nerves, and even though I took the "fear factor" out of this dish, it still can be intimidating (especially for my husband!). The Polish name of the dish is "Zimne Nogi", which translates as "cold feet", and traditionally it's made with pigs' feet and is nothing else but jellied meat and veggies!!! Are you still with me? Don't worry, I am not using pigs' feet (mostly because it's too much work and too hard to find) and I substituted them with chicken legs (much healthier and less scary). I made a huge mistake and introduced it to my husband as "chicken jelly" ... he looked at me with disgust and said "...you mean like a strawberry jelly chicken?" and from now on he can not overcome this mental barrier and eat it (good, more for me!). So every time ho goes out of town for work... I make myself a huge batch of zimne nogi and I usually share it with my good friend, who is also a big fan of them (yes, he is Polish, too!). Here is the recipe:

*  8 chicken legs
*  1 cup frozen pea (thawed)
*  1 cup canned corn (drained)
*  1 cup baby carrots
*  4 dry bay leaves
*  5-6 dried whole allspice berries
*  8-10 tbsp gelatin powder (depends on the brand)
*  salt and pepper

1. In a large pot, cover chicken legs with water, add carrots, salt, pepper, bay leaves and allspice. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 45-60 minutes until meat is tender and separates from bones easily. 15 minutes into cooking, fish out all the carrots, slice them and set aside.
2. When chicken is tender, remove it from the water, debone it and cut it into chunks.
3. Strain the broth to remove big spices and "debris". Bring to boil, turn off the heat, add gelatine and mix until dissolved.
4. Into small bowls, divide equally peas, corn, carrots and meat. Pour the broth to completely cover the meat and refrigerate over night until the gelatin sets. Serve it with lemon juice or vinegar.

   You have to admit that it looks really pretty. And it's delicious too... if you are willing to try. Some are afraid of the name...some are afraid of the texture, but remember, it's all about being open minded and trying new things in life!

Good luck.
Magda.