It's a cold, icy day outside, which makes it a perfect time to discuss broth. Since our two teenage grandsons moved in with us we make 2 1/2 gallons of soup or stew and there are no leftovers. But then, what's better than Grandpa's chicken soup? Well, maybe Grandpa's beef stew, but it's pretty much a toss up.
I love "store-bought" chicken broth. Swanson's is always good (no MSG version), but we use Best Choice when it's cheaper and it's good stuff, also. Homemade broth tastes richer and has more alleged health benefits (I make no claims in that regard, but it's what I've heard my entire life) and it's usually cheaper. The fresh broth can be refrigerated overnight and then skimmed to remove excess fat, but I don't do that. I use it fat and all, just like God and my grandma intended. The fat is what chefs call "schmaltz." Schmaltz is a Yiddish word I've heard my entire life. My mother learned about schmaltz when she lived in New York. My grandmother just called it chicken fat and she said it would cure colds. My sister called my grandma "Chicken Fat" behind her back. My sister was hateful.
To make chicken broth, I start with a package of chicken leg quarters (usually four legs). I've done this once with split chicken breasts (which still have bones and skin) and it worked great. Legs are cheaper and we like dark meat.
I begin by placing the chicken legs into a 5 1/2 quart pot and covering them with water. Next I add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and bring the water to a boil. I reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour. After the hour, I turn off the heat and let the pot cool for a little while.
These are the leftover bones from our Thanksgiving turkey, after I removed all of the meat that I could. I covered it (or nearly covered it) with water and added a tablespoon of vinegar. I let it boil and then simmered it for at least an hour. I like to pour off the broth and repeat the process with plain water. Once I have added veggies and whatever to the broth, I add as much water as necessary to keep it soupy. I sometimes add store broth instead of water, but fresh broth is fairly concentrated, especially after boiling the veggies, so a little water doesn't hurt the flavor.
I've been composting my vegetable peels and trimmings, but I plan to start using them for stock instead. I don't peel potatoes, but I do peel carrots and cut the ends off (and I cut the ends from celery stalks as well), simply because they're dirty or unsightly. The vegetable brush I use for washing potatoes would work just fine for carrots before I peel them (I don't peel fresh-pulled carrots). The tough outer layers of onions would also be good for making stock and the dry skins add color as well as nutrients. I recently bought cheese cloth and cooking string for the purpose of making stock bags that can be dropped into the pot and then removed from the finished stock. The bags will also be handy for fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage, plus dried herbs like bay leaves that are best removed after they've added their flavorings to the soup.
This time of year we eat soup six nights out of seven. I like to have as much variety as possible, but stock and broth are the basis for everything soup. Once I have my broth I can go any direction: Chinese, Tuscan, Mexican, Italian or down-home. Around here, nobody seems to mind what kind of soup I make, as long as I make plenty of it.
Stephen
I love "store-bought" chicken broth. Swanson's is always good (no MSG version), but we use Best Choice when it's cheaper and it's good stuff, also. Homemade broth tastes richer and has more alleged health benefits (I make no claims in that regard, but it's what I've heard my entire life) and it's usually cheaper. The fresh broth can be refrigerated overnight and then skimmed to remove excess fat, but I don't do that. I use it fat and all, just like God and my grandma intended. The fat is what chefs call "schmaltz." Schmaltz is a Yiddish word I've heard my entire life. My mother learned about schmaltz when she lived in New York. My grandmother just called it chicken fat and she said it would cure colds. My sister called my grandma "Chicken Fat" behind her back. My sister was hateful.
To make chicken broth, I start with a package of chicken leg quarters (usually four legs). I've done this once with split chicken breasts (which still have bones and skin) and it worked great. Legs are cheaper and we like dark meat.
I begin by placing the chicken legs into a 5 1/2 quart pot and covering them with water. Next I add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and bring the water to a boil. I reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour. After the hour, I turn off the heat and let the pot cool for a little while.
Once the pot is cool enough to handle without burning myself, I place a colander over our 10 quart stock pot. I slowly pour the broth through the colander and use tongs to transfer the chicken. When the chicken is well drained, I move the colander to the 5 1/2 quart pot. I let the chicken cool until I can comfortably handle it. Once cooled, I remove the meat from the bones and add it to the stock pot. I save back the bones and skin, put them back in the 5 1/2 quart pan, cover with water and boil again. I turn off the heat and let the pot sit for a bit before draining it through the colander back into the 10 quart pan. I discard the bones, wash the smaller pot and put it away. The broth is now ready for adding veggies and such to make chicken soup.
The vinegar helps break down the collagen in the joints, as well as some of the calcium in the bones, making a richer broth.
Bone broth follows much the same process. I save back the bones from boning chicken, from ham or from beef or pork. Cooked bones from roast chicken works fine, but I draw the line at saving fried chicken bones from people's plates the way some online recipe writers suggest.
I've been composting my vegetable peels and trimmings, but I plan to start using them for stock instead. I don't peel potatoes, but I do peel carrots and cut the ends off (and I cut the ends from celery stalks as well), simply because they're dirty or unsightly. The vegetable brush I use for washing potatoes would work just fine for carrots before I peel them (I don't peel fresh-pulled carrots). The tough outer layers of onions would also be good for making stock and the dry skins add color as well as nutrients. I recently bought cheese cloth and cooking string for the purpose of making stock bags that can be dropped into the pot and then removed from the finished stock. The bags will also be handy for fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage, plus dried herbs like bay leaves that are best removed after they've added their flavorings to the soup.
This time of year we eat soup six nights out of seven. I like to have as much variety as possible, but stock and broth are the basis for everything soup. Once I have my broth I can go any direction: Chinese, Tuscan, Mexican, Italian or down-home. Around here, nobody seems to mind what kind of soup I make, as long as I make plenty of it.
Stephen
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