This is dedicated to my son Joe who has just come back from doing music things in Tokyo and a desire to make bone broth.
Phew, finally got to the Chinese supermarket to buy the bits for my stock/bone broth. This seriously makes my chicks feel ill when they see what is in it but they do love my gravy so yah boo sucks. I also get to empty the freezer of all the bags of chicken bones I have been collecting. This is truly so worth the effort to end up with the most delicious stock or soup or jelly depending on what you finally add or reduce it to. Sam, my stepson also has a similar stock pot so it is becoming a family tradition. In fact, right now in the pot are two huge hams for various Christmas events and Sam will play Sam the Ham with my grandbots. We are a very food orientated family.
Why make bone broth? Firstly it just tastes so good and is so versatile as a base for a variety of dishes. However there are also lots of great health benefits to persuade you to start slurping your ramen. This broth is a magic and wondrous substance created by unicorns and pixies and in particular wonderful mums and grannies who know how to heal you.
This from Wellness Mama  http://wellnessmama.com/   “It can improve digestion, allergies, immune health, brain health, and much more.
What isn’t as well known is that broth can help reduce cellulite by improving connective tissue, increase hair growth/strength, improve digestive issues and remineralize teeth.
Broth is also helpful to have on hand when anyone in the family gets sick as it can be a soothing and immune boosting drink during illness, even if the person doesn’t feel like eating.
Broth is very high in the amino acids proline and glycine which are vital for healthy connective tissue (ligaments, joints, around organs, etc)”
Above are 3 very large disposable oven trays filled with a selection of items including several chicken carcasses, a bag of pork bones, two pigs trotters, some pork fat, beef tendon and the wonderfully named ‘chicken paws’ which are basically chickens feet. From that selection above you get an amazingly tasty, rich, almost textrous (is that a word) because there is so much collagen there. Collagen is, I am sure you know, very good for your skin and hair but more importantly, it makes things slip down nicely.
A close-up of some of the interesting ingredients.
Ready to roast for an hour, bones, onions, celery and aromatics. All good but not yet quite so beautiful. Smash the onions, you will be putting more in later. Roast until brown, up to an hour.
Yay, new stock pot – who’s your daddy! The only problem is that I cant physically lift it, particularly when full which means I need to instruct Tony or install someone in as a pot mover.
The start, full of roasted bones, celery, carrot, onions (leave the skins on, it adds colour, a star anise, peppercorns, bay leaves, any old veg you want to empty out of the fridge (not potatoes as it makes it cloudy), also not brassicas as they stink. If you want to salt it don’t go wild as it is going to reduce a lot, herbs are good, all those parsley stalks you have been saving in the freezer? If you want to you can put in current stock to keep on the history of the 100 year old stock that horrifies my chicks. Also, and this is a secret, a tin of anchovies wont go amiss for umami and umami is what this is all about. We dont want a tasteless watery stock we want a rich, flavourful broth steeped with moreishness.
After 24 hours, not looking great but smelling good.
The bones that are left and behind the broth, that white patch needs to be removed and it all needs to be drained through muslin or using the egg white/egg shell method which always seems a bit weird to me.
The final product, or at least a small part of it as it is now reducing to make about 20 portions that I can freeze but dont forget to add water to reconstitute it when you use it again.