21 Aug Broth: the slow way to make fast food

Fast food is so highly processed that much of the nutrition is processed right out of it. But in our busy world we need something quick. So I make broths. Yes, they take awhile to cook, but you can make it in advance, then use it to create a soup, and now you have a good supply of quick and easy meals–quicker than getting in the car and going through the drive-thru. And broths have lots of minerals and are good for hair, skin, nails, and digestive tract.

So when my daughter was finished with school and living on her own, I took her to the farmers market. We bought a chicken, some spinach, and some squash. Then we took it all to my house and made broth. When the broth was done, we made two soups, one with spinach and the other with squash. She tasted the soups and loved them. Then we put them in quart containers so that she could freeze some for later. We also picked the meat off the chicken so she could add it to her servings of soup. This made the soup plus chicken a meal for her. And we froze the extra chicken too.

The reason we did this is that she was trying to go gluten free and dairy free and was stuck on what to eat. Aren’t a lot of us. And, she had a demanding job so not a lot of time to mess around the kitchen. So I was trying to help her gain an easy way to have nutritious food. The chicken-equals-broth-then-soup plan is pretty foolproof in that the results pretty much always taste good. It’s not hard to do, doesn’t take a lot of prep time, and can be frozen for when needed. I follow this plan too, except I like to bake a whole chicken and serve it for one night’s dinner, rather than boiling it. Baked chicken has  more flavor than boiled chicken, but if you plan on eating it with a sauce, on a salad, or in your soup, it won’t matter. Then I save the bones for making broth later.

I don’t just make chicken broths. Whenever I cook any kind of chop or bone-in meat, I save the bones in the freezer until I get a pound for making broth. I also make vegetable broths with veggies I have on hand plus scraps.

I want to mention that broths and stocks are not the same thing. Broths are made with meat and bones (except for a vegetable broth) and cooked for a couple hours or less. Sometimes they’re called stocks instead of broths, and technically they are not the same, but I don’t care what you call them. Just give it a try and you’ll be glad you did.

Recipes

Meat broth

3 lbs chicken bones OR 1 lb beef, chicken, lamb, pork, or other meaty bones

onion (quartered),

1 to 2 stalks celery

1 to 2 carrots

1 clove garlic, crushed

parsley sprigs or carrot tops (optional)

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

salt to taste and 5-7 peppercorns

3-4 quarts filtered water

Put all ingredients in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 2 hours. Skim off the foam and impurities that rise to the top. Stock is done when it is reduced by about half. Let it cool in the pot (if you have time, or just use some in a recipe). Strain and discard bones and vegetables. Save in glass quart containers. Freeze what you are not using within a week. Makes about 2 quarts.

For fish, use 1 lb. of bones and skin, and use 1 1/2 quarts of water and boil for 45 minutes to an hour and use ½ lemon, ½ cup dry white wine, instead of onions and celery.

Hints: Roast beef bones at 400 degrees until browned before adding to pot of water. Include onion skin as it is healthful and darkens the broth. Use celery leaves as they are also healthful. Have the butcher cut the bones in half so more of the marrow and goodness of the bones get in the broth. Also, you can adapt the recipe to what you have on hand, but more vegetables mean more nutrients.

Crock pot directions: add all ingredients to a crock pot but reduce water to 2 quarts and leave on low for 4 to 8 hours.

Pressure cooker directions: add all ingredients to a pressure cooker but reduce water to 2 quarts and cook for 30-40 minutes.

Vegetable broth

This will not have the gelatin and minerals of the broth made from bones, but is very healing in other ways. Boil 2 ½ quarts water with ¾ lb. of any variety of vegetables, and onion, 2 bay leaves, and salt and pepper for one hour. If you include sea vegetables, it tastes more like miso soup, and is very healing for thyroid. Vegetable broth is useful for cleansing and detoxing.

Bone broth or stock

Similar to meat broth, but cooked for 8 hours minimum, to draw maximum minerals out of the bones. However, it’s higher in histamine so some may not tolerate it as well. The meat and vegetables should be removed after 2 hours, with only the bones cooking for the full time.

If you want more ideas for healthy eating and cooking, contact me. The intro phone call is free. And I can support you in your quest for health because I’m a board certified functional medicine health coach.

Comments: What’s your experience with broths, stocks, and soups?

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