Forget about coffee. Forsake your green juice. There’s a new gig in town, and it’s got good bones. The latest things to be filling thermoses and to-go cups across the country isn’t the flat white of the kale green—it’s bone broth, simmered overnight with good old-fashioned bones. For some health food aficionados, a jar of bone broth is tantamount to liquid gold. Nutrient dense, bone broth is chock a block full of primal nourishment— collagen, gelatin, bio-available minerals and amino acids. Much like quinoa, yogurt, goji berries and other recent health trends, broth draws heavily on its ancient provenance as well as its empirical nutritional benefits.
A recent New York Times article on broth bliss quoted Sally Fallon Morell, whose first book, “Nourishing Traditions,” has sold more than half a million copies, and who is now the author of a new book called “Nourishing Broth,” on broth’s myriad benefits. It’s been known through history and across cultures that broth settles your stomach and also your nerves,” said Fallon. “When a recipe has that much tradition behind it, I believe the science is there too.”
While stock and broth are pretty much interchangeable terms (technically stock has more bones and broth more actual meat)—it is broth that’s become the new big health craze this year. The trend has been gaining traction for the last few months across the country as many chefs realize that their stock can be easily transformed into a highly prized commodity. Several restaurants, in New York, San Francisco and Boulder have fueled the broth craze and practically overnight made broth the drink of choice. These cutting edge brotheries offer it in-house, with a variety of fixings such as lime zest, cilantro, green onion, parsley, cabbage, grated fresh turmeric, or to go. The add-ins make plain broth into a richly satisfying snack.
And while it sounds precious and privileged to pay $5 for a cup of flavored hot water, I confess I am a fan. There’s a world of difference between prepackaged stock and homemade, and once you taste fresh broth it will hit a spot you didn’t even know you had. And it comes in very handy when you are detoxing, cleansing or even fasting—broth can sustain you in ways that coconut water or maple syrup lemonade can’t touch. And while broth isn’t hard to make, it is a lengthy process, so being able to get a cupper when you are out and about and need a something is a real treat.
To those who have taken up brothing, it is all about the bones (get good quality organic ones). Many broth experts recommend pulling a broth all-nighter—that is letting the bones cook on low heat all night. For those of you who have been bitten by the broth bug, why not explore making it at home? Its robust taste transfers wonderfully to a wide range of soups and stews, and it can also be a fortifying and radically healthy standby on its own.
Simple Bone Broth
Makes 2-1/2 quarts
Ingredients
4 lbs. chicken bones (any combination of backs, necks, and feet)
2 lbs. beef bones (shin or neck)
2 small onions, peeled and quartered
4 small carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch fresh thyme
12 oz. can tomatoes, drained
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
1 tsp. black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Directions
- Combine bones in a deep 8-quart pot.
- Rinse bones with cold water, scrubbing with your hands.
- Drain and pack bones in pot.
- Cover bones with 4 inches of cold water and cook over medium-high heat for about 45 minutes until liquid boils.
- Reduce heat to medium and move pot so burner is off to one side. (This helps broth to circulate.)
- Simmer until broth looks clear, about 1 hour, occasionally using a ladle to skim off surface fats and foamy impurities.
- When broth looks clear, add remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 2 hours.
- Use a spider skimmer to remove and discard bits of meat.
- Put a fine-mesh strainer over another large pot and pour broth through it; discard solids.
- Drink immediately, or let cool before storing.
(Adapted from A Good Food Day, by Marco Canora)