Here’s the deal….. bone broth is just plain good for you. You can make it with any animal bones — beef, chicken, lamb, fish, whatever — which you roast and then simmer with vegetables for hours.
It’s not exactly a new food (grandmothers have been making it for ages), the vitamins and minerals you get from the broken-down bones have powerful healing properties, and can help to alleviate joint and gut pain, boost your immune system, brighten skin and even make your hair shiny…..why wouldn’t ya!!! Unless you’re a vegetarian or vegan, then broth would be NOT the go huh!
I love it and continue to make a big batch every week and freeze it. Besides it’s amazing taste and culinary uses, broth is an excellent source of minerals and is known to boost the immune system (chicken soup when you are sick anyone?) and improve digestion. Its high in calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus content make it great for bone health Bone broth also supports joints, hair, skin, and nails due to its high collagen content. In fact, some even suggest that it helps eliminate cellulite as it supports smooth connective tissue.
I buy the bones from the butcher for $3-4 a bag. I ask for meaty bones with the marrow as this has got all the goodies for healing that we need. I also get the butcher to include a couple of sections from the cannon bone which is full of marrow. Sometimes I add a couple of lamb neck chops. If I make chicken broth I will use 2-4 Whole chicken frames, if you can get chicken feet then they make the broth even more nutritious.
I make a large batch in my 10 litre stainless steel pot and freeze it for soups and stews (in 500ml containers) and also in 200ml serves to drink as a soup, or to use for stir frying veggies (instead of using oil). You basically use it as you would stock, but it’s richer, more gelatinous and more nutritious.
Bone Broth Recipe
Bone broth is like normal stock but made with big, cheap bones which are simmered for a very long time (24 hours-plus). At the end of cooking, a stack of minerals have leached from the bones and into the broth that the bones crumble when pressed lightly.
Ingredients
About 2-3kg of bones (beef marrow, knuckle bones, meaty rib, neck bones – whatever the butcher will give you)
about 3-4 litres of cold water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1-2 onions, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
several sprigs of fresh herbs, tied together
1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
Place the bonier bones (ie not much meat) in a very large pot with vinegar and cover with water.
Meanwhile, place the meaty bones in a roasting pan and brown at 180C in the oven. When well browned (approx 20 minutes), add to the pot along with the vegetables.
Add additional water, if necessary, to cover the bones; but the liquid should come no higher than within one inch of the rim of the pot, as the volume expands slightly during cooking.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add the herbs and crushed peppercorns.
As Sally Fallon says (Author of Nourishing Traditions) You will now have a pot of rather repulsive-looking brown liquid containing globs of gelatinous and fatty material. It doesn’t even smell particularly good.
Strain the lot (you’ll need to use tongs or your hands to pull out the bones) into a large bowl. Let cool in the fridge and then…
Deal with the fat
This is a little gross, but somehow satisfying. The congealed fat on top is usually a good 1-2cm thick and you can literally pick it up in chunks (like ice over a pond) and turf it or feed it to the birds…they love it!
Divide into containers and freeze/eat.
Some things to do with bone broth:
* Drink it like a soup
* Make casseroles with it
* Stir fry vegetables with it. I use a tablespoon or two instead of oil when doing stirfries.
* Gravy!!!
Why would you?
Because it is soooo good for you.
1. Our immune systems love it.
2. It’s great for arthritis and joint pain
3. It’s a digestive aid
4. It rebuilds the gut
5. It combats stress + inflammation.
6. It’s great for thyroid issues
7. It’s great for nails, hair and women generally.
This recipe is mostly taken from Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions.