Nutrient Dense Meal
“Good broth will resurrect the dead,” says a South American proverb.
A cure-all in traditional households and the magic ingredient in classic gourmet cuisine, stock or broth made from bones of beef, chicken and fish builds strong bones, assuages sore throats, nurtures the sick, puts vigor in the step and sparkle in love life–so say grandmothers, midwives and healers. For chefs, stock is the magic elixir for making soul-warming soups and matchless sauces.
Rich homemade broths help cure colds. Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons–stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain.
Gelatin was universally acclaimed as a most nutritious foodstuff particularly by the French. Although gelatin is not a complete protein, containing only the amino acids arginine and glycine in large amounts, it acts as a protein sparer, helping the poor stretch a few morsels of meat into a complete meal. During the siege of Paris, when vegetables and meat were scarce, a doctor named Guerard put his patients on gelatin bouillon with some added fat and they survived in good health.
Gelatin was found to be useful in the treatment of a long list of diseases including healing a leaky gut, peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice and cancer. The amino acid glycine found in bone broth can be very calming. Babies had fewer digestive problems when gelatin was added to their milk. The American researcher Francis Pottenger pointed out that as gelatin is a hydrophilic colloid, which means that it attracts and holds liquids, it facilitates digestion by attracting digestive juices to food in the gut. Even the epicures recognized that broth-based soup did more than please the taste buds. “Soup is a healthy, light, nourishing food” said Brillant-Savarin, “good for all of humanity; it pleases the stomach, stimulates the appetite and prepares the digestion.”
Beef Stock
about 4 pounds beef marrow and knuckle bones 3 pounds meaty rib or neck bones 4 or more quarts cold filtered water 1/2 cup vinegar 3 onions, coarsely chopped 3 carrots, coarsely chopped 3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped several sprigs of fresh thyme, tied together 1 teaspoon dried green peppercorns, crushed l bunch parsley
Place the knuckle and marrow bones in a very large pot with vinegar and cover with water. Let stand for one hour. Meanwhile, place the meaty bones in a roasting pan and brown at 350 degrees in the oven. When well browned, add to the pot along with the vegetables. Pour the fat out of the roasting pan, add cold water to the pan, set over a high flame and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen up coagulated juices. Add this liquid to the pot. 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. A large amount of scum will come to the top, remove this with a spoon and reduce heat, add the thyme and crushed peppercorns.
Simmer stock for at least 12 and as long as 72 hours. Just before finishing, add the parsley and simmer another 10 minutes.
Remove bones with tongs or a slotted spoon. Strain the stock into a large bowl. Let cool in the refrigerator and remove the congealed fat that rises to the top. Transfer to smaller containers and to the freezer for long-term storage.
Brought to you by Jasmin Schellenberg .
Come to our first Chapter meeting July 3. 5pm at the Kinikinik in Redstone and learn more about bone broth.
Inspired by and resourced from www.westonaprice.org
