Bone Broth

HI, how are you today? Thanks for dropping in to visit my blog, without you there'd be no point doing one. 

Bone broth is the latest catch word, everyone who's anyone is using it. Why? Because its Full of nutrients!

I've seen bone broth before, in fact its a staple of a chefs kitchen, chefs call it stock. Though chefs don't put vinegar in theirs. Its said to bring out all the gelatine in the bones. They use vegetables, chicken bones, beef & fish bones, to make nutrient rich, flavoursome, flavoured broths for our dishes. Yum! 

Chefs use stock instead of water in most dishes that call for water. They do this to add more flavour to the dish, these days its used nutritionally, & thats a good thing in my opinion.

My grandmother used to save the water from all the vegetables she cooked, & either drink it with the meal, or freeze it to use another day in her cooking. Very thrifty! Not to mention health conscious, she was a whizz at things like that.

Some examples of places you could use bone broth are:
E.G. risotto, soup, pasta dishes, sauces, to cook vegetables in, polenta & meat dishes.  *Use it in the place of water.

Heres a recipe or two from the New Zealand Chef 2002 by Lesley Christensen-Yule & Hamish McRae

Stock I made yesterday using only chicken pieces, ready to freeze & bag for free flowing stock cubes

White Stock: 

Ingredients:

• 2.5 kg (5 lbs) raw bones of either beef, veal or chicken
• 5 liters (1.3 gallons) water
• 625g (1.25 lb) whole onions, carrot, celery, leek
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 5 stalks fresh parsley
• 15 peppercorns

Instructions:

1. Chop the bones, removing any fat
2. Cover with cold water in a large pot
3. bring to the boil, skim & wipe away residue around the pot
4. Add vegetables & herbs, peppercorns
5. simmer 6 hours (the water is just moving no more)
6. Skim & strain then cool quickly in a large shallow dish, before placing in a container in the fridge for 3-4 days maximum, or freezing in either ice cube trays or small containers with lids. 500g (2 cups) is a good size for most dishes. (I do this overnight so the fat sets, then strain into containers)

* If anyone cant have any of the listed ingredients, leave them out...except the bones of course

Brown Stock:

Ingredients:

• 2.5 kg (5 lbs) raw beef, veal, chicken or game bones
• 5 liters (1.3 gallons) water
• 625g (1.25 lb) onion, carrot, celery, leek
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 5 parsley stalks
• 15 peppercorns
• 15ml tomato puree
• mushroom & tomato trimmings

Instructions:

1. Chop bones, removing fat
2. Roast bones to a rich, dark brown colour
3. Drain off fat & place bones in stockpot
4. Cover with cold water & bring to a boil
5. Skim & wipe residue from around the pot
6. Roast or fry vegetables to a rich brown colour & add to the stock
7. Pour some water into the hot roasting pan & add juices to the stock
8. Add herbs, peppercorns, puree, mushroom & trimmings
9. Bring back to the boil, skim again
10. Simmer 6 hours, skim & strain
11. Cool it quickly, in a large shallow dish, before putting into a container or several, cover & date. (I do this overnight so the fat sets, then strain into containers)
12. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze in small amounts for adding to dishes. Ice cube trays are good, or small containers eg 500g with lids