Earlier last week I had made a small turkey for dinner. We picked off what appeared to be most of the meat for our meals (5 individual meals actually) and I was left with some odds and ends and the bones. In the past, I would have tossed that bad boy into the garbage. I had no idea that the already cooked, picked apart turkey could still provide for us...many times over in fact.
Knowing that I wouldn't get to it right away, I threw the turkey bones (sorry, saying carcass sounds nasty) into a ziplock and into the freezer. This past Sunday morning I knew I'd have enough time for my bubbling brew so I pulled it out to start making my stock. I filled my stock pot with water (how much water depends on how much broth you want, and how much poultry/bones you have), added the turkey bones, and added in organic carrot, celery, garlic and onion. For seasoning I used ground black pepper, Himalayan pink salt, bay leaves and fresh parsley. I then covered my pot, turned the stove on to medium heat and went about my day. After a couple of hours I turned it down to a simmer.
Now, I started out with the intention of just making the stock to keep on hand. To do this, you'll just simmer for a minimum of 10-12 hours (or up to 24), let it cool, then either keep in the fridge and use within 5 days, or you can freeze it. However, ten hours of amazing smells later, I was turning it into soup for dinner. To turn it into wow this smells so good I have to eat it now soup, all you do is carefully strain and pick out all of your bones, skin, etc. Then I shredded any larger chunks of meat and threw them back into the pool with some homemade Amish noodles. After about 15 minutes it was ready to eat, and it was oh so delicious. This one pot provided quite a bit of soup, and by that I mean after 3 of us had it for dinner, we still had enough for 2 lunches, and there were still leftovers!
I had used quite a bit of water, so there was a lot of stock left at the end of our soup with very few noodles and chunks. At this point, you can either eat a very brothy soup, freeze your leftover broth (either all together, in 1-2 cup increments, or in ice cube trays to use for cooking later), or, you can use that broth to make a third dish. I wash planning to make a casserole last night that ordinarily calls for cream of chicken soup a.k.a cream of chemical soup-bleh! So in place of those nasty little cans, I made a roux, added in my leftover stock, some milk, ground black pepper, and whisked my way to a perfect, super yummy sauce for my casserole.
After the turkey dinner, turkey noodle soup, and casserole, my meal count was up to.....drumroll please.......FOURTEEN meals as a result of one little turkey!
Not only is this process very resourceful and wallet friendly, but the bone broth provides tons of nutritional benefits as well. Besides tasting pretty amazing, it is a highly nutrient dense food. This broth is packed with minerals and can help to boost your immune system, hence chicken noodle soup when you are sick. It is high in calcium, magnesium, amino acids and phosphorus content which also makes it great for hair, skin, nails and joints. That's not all. Bone broth can also improve allergies, digestion and brain health as well.
By making your own versus buying canned, processed broth at the store, you're also eliminating high sodium content, preservatives and other nasty chemicals, and most likely MSG. Not to mention you get outstanding, homemade flavor and only one pot to wash. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment