A Good Hot Broth

With the temps reaching staggering record breaking lows, it's time to reach for a bowl or cup of hot , steamy broth. It's not only great for warming up, it's perfect for revitalizing . Any broth is chock full of  vitamins and nutrients and can be customized to suit any one's tastes. It can be eaten as a light soup or substantial snack.

It was the subject of an article by New York Food section great, Julia Moskin in today's Food Issue. Broth is the perfect meal for January ,It's a light clear respite from the last of the holiday food plus being a great meal for dieters. Broth is also getting its' due thanks to the Paleo Diet. One recommended dish is the Bone Broth, basically the same chicken or beef stock chefs and home chefs have been using for millennia.Like other trendy foods of late it has a foot in the mystical past as well as one foot in the now of good for you nutritional foods such as yogurt and quinoa.Broth can also have some medicinal qualities as well.The author of Nourishing  Broth, Sally Fallon Morell, has found out that broth served as a kind of medicine for centuries, settling both nerves and stomach problems. The ancient Jewish physician, Maimonides proclaimed that chicken soup was an excellent soup and medication. Caribbean islanders have cow foot soup for breakfast to aid ailments and provide fortification for the day. Stock actually does have health benefits.It aids in reducing inflammation as well as digestive problems.

The best stock or broth is made with a lot of bones. The French tend to delineate theirs. There is everything from light veal to dark veal and raw chicken to roasted chicken. Home chefs don't have to be that fussy,In fact a mixed broth of chicken and beef tastes delicious. Broth making is an arduous affair that can take an entire day and night to make, First is the roasting process. Ms. Moskin uses a recipe borrowed from Mario Canora, a chef at Manhattan's Brodo Restaurant. Chef Canora is know for his tasting sampler of different ones. He recommends using beef shanks and oxtails brushed with a tomato paste and slow roasting them for half an hour to forty five minutes. They are then transported to a 12 quart stock pot and are completely immersed in cold water and  apple cider vinegar.Chopped onions along with herbs such as flat leaf parsley and oregano are also added. Shitake mushrooms are also thrown in for earthiness. It's up to the home chef however to add what they like , as far as extra veggies and spices. Simmer overnight for three hours. If you're using knucklebones , then it has to be overnight for about nine or fifteen hours.. The newly made broth can be used immediately or frozen for later use.

Broth is the perfect meal for these freezing temps. A cup of fresh made is a good light lunch ,packed with nutrition and taste. Have a bowl or cup of your own making and enjoy.