Delicious Homemade Broth

There is something quintessentially evocative of a Polish home, at least to me, about a big pot of stock simmering on the stove. Growing up, we would make stock at least once a week, and sometimes even more than that. We would have ingredients for stock prepped and frozen in the freezer so we could put together soup whenever we ran out of the bits already made.

Store bought, just can’t compare to the taste I grew up with.

If you have any kind of meat bones lying around, chicken, pork, beef, cuts of freezer burned meat, they can all be tossed together into a pot and simmered into the kind of soup that’s perfect for when you are under the weather, outright sick, or just craving something homey.

With everything going on, I thought I would share the family recipe for stock. If you are feeling adventurous and want to give it a kick, when roasting the bones, smoke them instead. It will add a smoky flavour to your broth.

Chicken Stock

  • 1 Large Onion, halved
  • 2 Carrots
  • ½ celery root
  • 1 Whole Leek
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • Chicken Bones, Legs, Breast, or Whole Chicken
  • 1 Tbsp Whole Peppercorns
  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • Water (aprx. 4 L)

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot. (Do not cover)

For added yellow colour, grill the bottoms of the onion.

Cover with water and bring to a boil.

Once boiling lower to a simmer

Skim off floating scum near the top. You will need to check periodically for the scum/foam before boiling and for the first half hour after boiling.

Let simmer for about 2-3 hours.

Strain broth through soup strainer into a smaller pot.

Conserve meat and carrots for use in soup.

You can serve this broth with noodles, carrot, boiled chicken and parsley for a standard chicken noodle soup.

 

Beef Broth

 

  • Beef Bones
  • 1 Large Onion, halved
  • 2 Carrots
  • ½ celery root
  • 1 Whole Leek
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 11 Whole Peppercorns
  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • Water (aprx. 4 L)

 

Roast bones at 350°F for at least 45 minutes. You can drizzle them with some salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot. (Do not cover with lid).

For added yellow colour, grill the bottoms of the onion.

Cover with water and bring to a boil.

Once boiling lower temperature to bring broth to a simmer

Skim off floating scum near the top. You will need to check periodically for the scum/foam before boiling and for the first half hour after boiling.

Let simmer for at least 2-3 hours.

Strain broth through soup strainer into a smaller pot.

 

NOTE: It’s important that the soup be kept at a low simmer. Boiling too aggressively or for too long can cause the fat to emulsify and make your broth cloudy. Skimming the top helps prevent this as well.

MAKE IT EASIER: You can also just drop all the ingredients in a slow cooker and leave it for a few hours. You should still skim the top if you can, but as long as your cooker doesn’t get too hot, it should be ok.

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Delicious Homemade Broth
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