Expensive goods from cheap ingredients: Bone Broth

Bone broth has become all the rage. Google it up - you'll find plenty of information I leave to you to sift through. 

It's basically stock that's been simmered in a way to draw more minerals and protein out of it's components than the usual pre-soup simmer. The how is pretty simple: addition of acid, and long simmer time. Of course you can buy it (my personal fave), but it gets pricey. To benefit from bone broth, it's supposed to be a frequent, if not daily, treat. Good bone broth is richly flavored but not strong. Good for daily fortifying, and great when you're not feeling well. Also worth noting: it's not the same as bouillon, which is typically high in salt/sodium. 

So, how to have enough bone broth without stealing dollars from your movie budget (hey, priorities!)? Enter: the conversation with your favorite butcher. I found out today that our local fave sells chicken backs for a whopping 50 cents a pound. Squee! 

Chicken backs from the butcher - who knew?!

Setting up to make two batches, because it's a little labor intensive and freezes well. One beef using oxtails, one chicken using chicken backs (I've read you can include chicken feet for extra collagen; maaaaaaaybe I'll get there, maaaaaaaybe not). 

One tray each, light S&P sprinkle only.

First, roast them lightly. I did 25 mins/turn/20mins at 350deg w/convection. Not very scientific, but I'm pushing browning over tenderness. This is going to simmer a very, very, very, very long time, and all I want is the broth anyway.

Roasted up!

Then into the crockpot with some seasoning buddies, water, and trick #1: acid. Include a couple tablespoons apple cider vinegar in the simmer to draw out minerals. Be sure to use the good stuff and not apple cider "flavored" vinegar. 

Seasoning buddies, plus vinegar.

Leading to trick #2: simmer for what seems like an obscenely long time: crockpot low for 36 hours. Some recipes also say 18hrs is long enough, some say go the full monty 48hrs. I say it's flexible. You can do this on the stovetop, but I have a gas stove so I'm not keen on leaving a gas burner running unattended for that long. You probably could speed this up using an InstantPot (which I don't own, yet....). If someone tries/has tried that, please let me know! 

Go time: 1:30pm. Now, we wait. 

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Next morning, still waiting....

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Simmering over. 

Beef broth after simmer.

Chicken broth after simmer.

Next: strain the broth, and chill overnight for the fat to settle out and congeal. 

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Lift the fat out - a spatula works nicely. 

I think this would keep in the fridge maybe up to a week (I'm not an expert - use your own judgement). For longer storage, I'm freezing it in glass canning jars. Fill them about 2/3 full to allow for expansion. I figure 1 pint jar is good for a couple days' worth. 

It's not as gelatinous as I expected. I don't know why. I've read including chicken feet really boosts the gelatin content. I think I needed more bones in general. 

Still,tasty, soothing, and surprisingly satisfying on these cold Wisconsin winter days. 

Did someone say snow?

Chicken Paprika: TBT

ThrowBack Thursday: Old-timey recipes, modern kitchen

Image from TheGraphicsFairy

October 2, 2014  
Chicken Paprika
From The New York Times Cook Book, ©1961

Chicken seems to be a go-to meat for a lot of folks, probably because it's really versatile and has a mild taste which is good for taking on all sorts of flavors. This recipe is one-pot simple and seemed doable on a week night.

Approach
Pretty straightforward: chicken, onion, garlic, stock. The "one tomato" and "one green bell pepper" are a bit vague; I have no way to gauge size of the average tomato 40+ years ago. The recipe note suggests "genuine Hungarian rose paprika" for best results. From what I can gather, the Sweet Paprika from Penzey's will do fine. I'm also assuming that half & half with a splash of heavy cream will do for the "light cream."

If you're observant, you will notice 1) the chicken is still frozen, and 2) I'm using orange Italian frying peppers. Use what ya got, right?

Result
It came together very easily; all the work is in the prep. It's really more of a pink sauce, thickened with flour, light cream, and sour cream. I wasn't expecting a pink sauce, so I was probably confusing this with cacciatore or something. I took the meat out of the pan when I thickened the sauce although the recipe didn't say to. We served it over some leftover potatoes, but I think it would be especially good over pasta.

Verdict 
Keeper. Rich flavors, will probably be great leftovers. (added later: yes, yes it was excellent leftovers)


Chicken Paprika
The New York Times Cook Book, by Craig Claiborne, ©1961

2 tablespoons butter (I used 1+ tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil)
1/2 cup chopped onion (I used more like 2/3 cup)
1 clove garlic, smashed (it was a really, really, really big clove...)
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika (Hungarian rose paprika if you have it)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tomato, chopped (more like 1 1/2 cups)
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped (1 1/2 cups orange pepper)
3/4 cup stock
1 3-4lb chicken, in pieces
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup light cream (2 tablespoons half & half and 1 tablespoon heavy cream)
1/2 cup sour cream

Melt butter in large heavy saucepan (or dutch oven). Add onion and garlic, sprinkle lightly with pinch of salt. Sauté lightly until softened and turning golden. Add paprika, salt, tomato, pepper, and stock; bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes covered. 

Add the chicken. Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, 40-50 minutes. Remove chicken from pan to a plate; cover and keep warm. In small bowl, combine flour and cream; mix well. Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup cooking liquid, mixing well to prevent lumps. Add back into main saucepan, again mixing well to prevent lumps. Add the sour cream; heat through. Return chicken to pot and bury down in the sauce to warm through. Serve it over rice or pasta. Or even potatoes. 



The New York Times Cook Book, by Craig Claiborne, ©1961

This cookbook is "a collection of nearly fifteen hundred selected recipes that appeared in the pages of The New York Times between 1950 and 1960." I tried to paraphrase that, but said almost the exact quote anyway. Found at an antique/flea market. (The photo looks funny: it's only the spine, and a floral tablecloth. The cover was otherwise plain black. Meh.)

Throwback Thursdays features a recipe from an antiquey style cookbook. Hard to know what age to put on it, but you know an old-timey one when you see it. I have at least 10 oldies now, a number which, being greater than 3, implies a collection. It also means they need their own shelf in the cookbook bookcase.