Let’s talk about bone broth.
(Not the kind of article you were perhaps expecting, but variety is the spice of life and all that).
As I continue to recover from yet another hideous recent respiratory infection, one of my ‘friend’s in recent years of such severe Winter battering has been something more familiar to our grandmother’s generation.
Some would say I’m a bit if a “gran” myself, so I’m staying true to myself 😉
I’m happy to resurrect such a hearty healthy recipe close to my heart, and since several of you have asked me how do I make my chicken bone broth, or what exactly do I do to create it, I felt prodded to scribble a simple post about it.
Bone Broth (of any variety – you can use chicken bones, beef bones or whatever) is full of many health benefits, including minerals and easily digestible nutrition not necessarily found or sourced so easily (or indeed cheaply) elsewhere.
This includes, but is far from limited to, iron, selenium, calcium, magnesium, phospherous and sulpher, amongst other things. Which is one of several reasons I have felt led to experiment with chicken bone broth in recent years.
Bone Broth has many healing properties, from its nutrient dense, rich-in-flavour liquid goodness.
As an added bonus, chicken bone broth contains collagen in a natural form which is – again – easily digestible, which strengthens the skin’s elasticity, together with strengthening hair and nails. ((Wrinkle reduction ladies! What more could a girl ask for?!)) When the bones boil and simmer over a lengthy period of time, collagen together with other healing compounds such as proline, glycine and glutamine are released.
Other healthy benefits to be had from a naturally made bone broth include aiding respiratory complaints and natural recovery after illness. Even better when lots of garlic is used! 😉
How, you might well ask?
Well, researchers from the University of Nebraska found (and confirmed) that the amino acids released when bone broth simmers, are what contribute to the reduction of inflammation in respiratory illness, together with improved digestion.
Don’t even get me started on the gut health benefits of bone broth. In an era of antibiotic overuse and ever increasing understanding of the importance of good gut health. It may be time we brought bone broth back into every staple diet in these shores.
There’s a reason why savvy Londoners and Californians have jumped on the ‘bone broth bandwagon’ in recent years.
Our grandmothers knew a thing or two.
So here’s my chicken bone broth recipe, tried and tested. It’s not fancy. It’s simple, cheap and yet full of nutritious substance. It gives a natural energy boost and I’ve found it to really aid in recovery from respiratory infections.
Oh and I also strongly recommend it for bouncing off tarmac roads (preferably in California) multiple times from small motorcycles at 40 mph and miraculously having no broken bones – (if you’ve no clue what I’m writing about, ask me in person, or flick through earlier blog posts from last Summer, here). Bone broths contain glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate in soluble form, which strengthen and aid bones and joints. And in addition, with the ongoing arthritis campaign in full swing in Northern Ireland at present, I’d also be keen to hear from any arthritis sufferers out there to hear if it helps their condition too.
———————————————————————————————————————————
BONE BROTH RECIPE:
– Roast a chicken (preferably organic) in the oven for usual cooking time.
– Once cooked, take all the chicken meat off, then place the carcass with all bones in a large saucepan (the larger, the more broth you can create).
– Place on hob, and add 1 or 2 carrots,
-1 large onion,
-4 cloves of garlic,
– and salt and pepper.
– Fill the saucepan with boiled water and fill to brim.
– Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to gentle simmer.
– Leave to simmer at gentle heat for preferably 4-6 hours to allow nutrients to be derived from the bones. If you don’t have time, two hours is better than nothing, but the longer you can leave it to simmer, the better for extracting nutrients.
– In the final half hour add 4 more cloves of garlic to add taste and nutrition.
– Then leave to cool, and ‘voila’ …
….you now have your very own hearty, healthy bone broth!
You can easily store it in the fridge or freezer, then simply heat it quickly and conveniently on the hob for use with ‘cuppa soups’ (as I tend to do) in a mug, as a mini-meal or use it as a stock to add to dozens of other recipes, including but not limited to bakes or pies.
Let me know how you get on.
With bone broth, it’s best not to think about it. Just do it. 😉
Til next week…
emeraldscribe 