Basic Broth and Stock Recipes
“A good broth resurrects the dead.” South American Proverb
This is one of my favourite quotes. It came to me from Sally Fallon, in her 2003 classic cookbook Nourishing Traditions. I believe it was Sally’s efforts in sharing the work of Weston Price that revived the age old tradition of bone broth in our modern world. What a revival it has been.
Traditional people used the whole animal including the bones. Bone broth is an important and nutrient dense food. Rich in minerals and gelatin, an important source of collagen, it supports joint and bone health, gut integrity, vascular and neurological health.
The richness and depth of flavour that a good broth adds to your soup or other recipes is remarkable. It adds a level of satiety that you just can’t get from using water as a base in a soup. It can turn a simple soup into a soul satisfying one. Broth is also a great base for sauces, gravies and gratins. Use it to cook your rice or other grains. Learn the art of making a good bone broth.
VEGETABLE BASED BROTHS AND STOCKS
I grew up in a home where my mother saved the cooking water from her vegetables for the week’s soup. To that she would add the vegetable scraps she has saved up from the weeks cooking. Soup was a staple in our home and when bones were not plentiful, we relied on vegetables for a tasty, mineral rich and nourishing broth to flavour our soups. Here are a few recipes inspired by the deliciousness of that broth.
Miso Broth is another nourishing vegetarian option for broth
WHAT ABOUT BOUILLON CUBES AND POWDERS
In a pinch, it’s fine to use a high quality bouillon cube. I understand, life happens. It’s busy. There’s a lot on your plate. Eventually, over time, cooking a good broth might be come habit - like doing the laundry and washing the dishes. It just starts to happen. Don’t be overwhelmed. It’s a simple soul satisfying task.
BASIC BONE BROTH OR SOUP STOCK RECIPE
Stock made from chicken bones tends to be milder and more versatile for recipes that are delicate in flavour. Beef broth has a rich flavour and as such, better suited to recipes that can handle its robustness. All broth is delicious sipped warm from a mug as a nourishing pick me up. I like to keep both chicken and beef broth on hand in the freezer. I make this in a large 10 litre/quart soup pot.
4-6 pounds of bones
For chicken I use the carcass from roasting a chicken. For an extra gelatinous broth add in backs, necks, wings, feet.
If using beef bones include collagen rich knuckle bones and shanks or marrow bones, neck bones. Oxtail is a particularly luxurious addition.
2-3 stalks of celery
A generous handful of parsley
2 onions chopped
3 good sized carrots cut into a few chunks
4-6 cloves of garlic - in winter often a whole head of garlic for extra immune support
2-3 bay leaves
Fresh thyme – I love thyme in my stock and often put in a generous handful of fresh or dried. I especially love a thyme rich broth in the depths of winter as its a great respiratory tonic and support and will often add extra.
10 pepper corns
1-2 cloves
2-3 allspice berries
2 tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. I prefer the clean taste of lemon and find it helps reduce the “funky” smell that cooking broth sometimes creates
For beef broth I sometimes include 1-2 TBSP tomato paste instead of lemon or vinegar if that sort of flavour would be complementary to the recipes I will be using it in.
For added nutritional and medicinal benefit you might add burdock root, reishi mushroom, nettle leaf, oat straw, sliced astragalus root
Add enough purified water to cover the bones. Bring to a very gentle simmer and allow to simmer uncovered for 3-12 hours for a basic broth. A slow cooker can work well for this. See notes below. As needed, top up the water to keep the bones well submerged. I find 3-6 hours creates the best flavour. Longer than that and you will probably get a more gelatinous broth but I find the flavour can sometimes go a bit off. Lemon seems to help reduce this tendency.
Allow to cool somewhat before straining the broth from the bones and vegetables. If the bones are quite gelatinous and flavourful I will use the bones for another batch.
Transfer the broth to the fridge. Once cool, remove the fat that has congealed at the top and save it for another use.
I store my broth in 750ml wide mouthed mason jars. When freezing I leave at least 1 inch headroom and freeze the jars lying on their side which helps to reduce the chance the jars will crack in the freezer. Once frozen, they can be stored upright in the freezer.
A FEW NOTES
Here is a nice recipe for a medicinal broth for sipping
For more details on making broth check out Mary’s Nest. She has a number of great posts on traditional cooking wisdom including bone broth. She shares tips for making a gelatinous broth as well as how to use an instant pot when making broth.
Mary’s notes on using her slow cooker for broth are as follows:
You need a slow cooker that has a “Keep Warm” setting that heats to 180°F (82°C). This temperature creates the perfect environment for making delicious, gelatinous bone broth.
You can test this by filling your slow cooker with water, setting it on Keep Warm, and testing the temperature with a cooking thermometer after a few hours.
If your slow cooker does not have a “Keep Warm” setting, you will need to put it on the low setting and adjust the lid slightly to one side to allow for some of the heat to escape to prevent the broth from boiling.