It’s winter time! Time to get our crock pots out for some nutritious liquidy gold warmth.

Like Rafiki holding Simba to the villagers, presenting my pride and joy – Liquid gold Broth 

The nutritional benefits of bone broth align with the intuitive culinary tactics of our grandparents and parents: A cup of chicken soup for a struggling immune system was always my family go when feverish and sniffly.

Broth is rich in nutrients that promote gut healing and repair as well as supporting healthy immune function. The protein from broth is easily digested making it a bioavailable nutrition source & it’s easy to make.

It’s as easy as – chop, mix, leave.  🙂 More Below.

Bone broth is not particularly flavoursome unless you roast the bones first  – On high heat in the oven for about 45 minutes, I put some onions in there, drizzle with olive oil and roast them too. * drool.

How do we make bone broth?  Let’s do it.

Recipe

Step 1: Place the following ingredients into your slow cooker or crock pot and let cook on low heat for 10 hours:

• 1 organic chicken carcass (bones only from the butcher) – Bones roasted for extra flavour
• 5 chopped celery stalks
• 3 chopped carrots
• 2L of filtered or spring water – Or enough water to fill 3/4 of the pot maximum
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• 2 bay leaves

Step 2:  The waiting game begins (10 hours). Do your thing at home while waiting, thats the beauty of making broth, it’s very low maintenance. Check in every now and then as you may find some white bits float to the top a few hours into the process, this is pretty normal just scoop off and discard.

Step 3: Adding the flavour: As a trick, I normally add the flavour in at hour 7. I find if I add the flavour in at the beginning, it’s not as full bodied and aromatic at the end.

Flavour addition at hour 7 :

• 6 crushed garlic cloves  (or to your liking, I’m Lebanese so…Garlic is life)
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme and or rosemary,
• A Splash of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to your liking

Step 4: Hour 10. The waiting game is complete. Using a large siv, Drain the liquid gold from the raw material (veggies, chicken etc) into a large bowl or back into the pot. Let it sit for a few hours and then scoop the fat off the top. Also normal but that extra fat is unnecessary and rancidifies quickly. Better off without it.

Step 5: Your broth is complete, View the bonus tips below for some extra knowledge that can save you time and bring you more comfort.  

Bonus Tips:

• Location: If your slow cooker is near a kitchen window, it’s ideal. The smell is like a chicken soup, however after 6 hours or so it’s not as appetising.
• Storage: Once complete, I pour a few doses of broth into mason jars, make sure to 70% fill these jars , and leave the lid on semi loose to avoid risk of breaking. Defrost naturally 24 hours before consumption in the fridge. Reheat once defrosted.
• Quick access: Silicon ice moulds. If you pour broth into silicon moulds before freezing, they make incredibly easy flavour additions to veggie dishes and any dish. SO EASY to just pop some broth out from a mould while cooking for extra nutrition and flavour.
• Flavour: I’ve given up on bone broth having incredibly dense flavour profiles as is. So I add my flavour when re-heating. Essential foundations usually include: Fresh garlic, salt and pepper. Side notes can be either: Teriyaki, Tamara, liquid coconut aminos or ginger. Depending on your tastebuds and preferences.
• For safety purposes: Stay home for the first few attempts. Any electrical appliances need to be supervised whilst on for prolonged period.

Questions commonly asked:

1. To go Organic? or Non Organic ?

ALWAYS ORGANIC , we have enough environmental contamination and this is a slow cooking process, which extracts so much from the bone. We have to take great care to maximise the nutritional content and minimise the contamination that we can avoid from agriculture.

Pricing wise, Bones are amazing because they affordable anyway to buy a big bag from your local butcher or healthy supermarket if they have. My favourite place to go is either the local farmers markets, or a trusted butcher who can guarantee organic.

2. The contraversy over timing – How long do we cook for?

The short answer is, no-one is 100% sure…

Some say cook less to reduce histamine content and possible heavy metal leeching. (8 hours)

Some say cook more to enhance collagen & nutritional extraction  (24 hours)

I sit somewhere in the middle of this fence at 10 – 12 hours slow cooking.

Special thanks to my crock pot – Inappropriately named Ron Burgundy

Bon Appetite friends,

Enjoy & Be well throughout winter

 

xx

Reema

 

 

 

©reemasaabnaturopathy2019