Bone Broth!

Bone Broth is one of the most important ingredients in this house. Since becoming sugar free I have tried to keep away from shop bought stock cubes. To me, they add no nutritional value to a meal and bone broth has a huge amount of nutrition in it. The broth can be made from any animal bones including, chicken, sheep, cows and pigs.

The bones of all these animals and more are great for the human body. Inside the hard shell of an animal bone is a wealth of essential nutrients, anti-inflammatory and gut healing proteins, healthy fats and wealth of minerals. Animals all over the world know this as when they kill they go straight for the bones. Unlike wild animals, we are not designed to eat bones. Instead we have to cook our animal bones.

The best thing about making bone broth is it is one of the simplest things anyone could do. Also I recommend that you buy a slow cooker, as it means you can leave it and you do not have to worry about it. I leave my bone broth overnight and the longer you leave it the better it tastes. Plus there is also the bonus of more nutrients.

Bone broth is great if you have arthitis. The advice is to eat what ails you. The broth is made from bones and joints that contain several nutrients that help strengthen your own skeletal system. It can also help to aid digestion and it is great for detoxification of the body.

Normally, I get the bones from my local butchers, Frenchs Farm Organic Butchers Shop and they often give me a free beef bone or two when I ask. We also buy a large chicken from this shop and I stew the bones after we have eaten it. Bone broth is so easy that even Ted, my three year old, could do it.

Makes about 2 1/2 litres

Equipment needed

• Sharp knife
• Chopping board
• Slowcooker
• Jug
• Ladle
• Colander
• Pudding tins and/or zip tie bags
• Teaspoon

Ingredients

• Bones of any animal
• Leek x 1 large
• Carrots x 2
• Celery x 2 sticks
• Tomatoes x 2 large
• Garlic x 2 cloves
• Bay leaves x 2
• Peppercorns x 6 – 8
• Salt x 1 tsp
• Water x 2 1/2 litres

Method

• If the bones are not cooked, preheat the oven to 200°C and place them on a baking tray for 30 minutes.
• Once they are cooked there will add more flavour to the meat.
• Meanwhile or to begin with, roughly chop the leek, carrots and celery into large chunks and then quarter the tomatoes.
• Next place the bones in the slow cooker along with the chopped vegetables.
• Add the garlic cloves whole, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt and water.
• Set the slow cooker on a low heat and leave for around 16 – 18 hours.
• When you have finished cooking the broth, take your jug and put the colander on top and remove the liquid with the ladle, straining it as you go.
• Make sure you use a jug or two big enough to hold all of the liquid.
• Finally when all the liquid has been strained and the bones have been removed, leave it to cool.
• When it has cooled, put it in the fridge for a few hours or over night and let a layer of fat form on the top.
• You can save the fat and use it to cook with.
• I put mine in a small glass jar.
• Once the fat has been removed, pour the liquid into zip tie bags or the pudding tins and freeze.
• Remove when you need to use stock in a recipe.

As I mentioned earlier, bone broth has fantastic nutritional value and it gives a meal that extra flavour we all love. We eat bone broth quite a few times a week in this house and we much prefer it to shop boought stock in any form. It’s great in soups, curries, stews, stir fry sauces and lots more. However you decide to eat it, as always, enjoy.