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?

Polenta Cakes

Polenta Cakes

One of the things I enjoy so much about polenta is how the same concoction takes on different textures. Fresh polenta is rich, creamy comfort food at its best. But if you let it set awhile, it gels up in a very easy non-sticky kind of way. Totally lending itself to putting into shapes. 

It starts out looking a lot like bird food. Or something we would mix into the horse feed. Completely inedible. But liquid, fats, and time will make it better than merely edible. 

It takes shapes so well - I made little individual bundt-shaped servings - great for a dinner party. 

I have some Pampered Chef shaped bread loaf pans to try out next and make some slices of star-shaped or flower-shaped slabs of creamy corny goodness...

Stay tuned!!

Warm-up with Baked Oatmeal

Mornings lately here in Wisconsin have felt a lot more like January and a lot less like mid-November. The result is that I've been craving something warm and comforting beyond the usual morning coffee. I'm not much of a morning-meal person - not a morning person in general, and I'm just not hungry right away. Sometimes, when I do wake up hungry, if there's time, we like to do a big brunch. But if the agenda is full and impatient, grab-and-go is better. We often have muffins of eggy goodness around, but when baby it's cold outside, I want something that feels a bit more like comfort food. 

Enter stage right: Baked Oatmeal.

It's rather like a warm bowl of fresh-from-the-oven oatmeal raisin cookie that's been dunked in warm milk. The recipe is super flexible. I've tried different dried fruits, walnuts or pecans in it or on top, adding ground flax seed, vanilla yogurt when we're out of plain. I also like that it's low in added sugars, thanks largely to the applesauce (use the good stuff!) and the cinnamon & vanilla. For the version in the photos, I used our homemade Spiced Pear Sauce instead of applesauce. Once I tried dried apricots and pecans - very, very tasty. Next up I'm going to try craisins and walnuts and include a bit of orange zest for a deep fall flavor. Bonus: it's gluten-free (just make sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you're super-sensitive).

I like to bake a batch and freeze it in servings. Perfect for busy mornings or a quick snack. It heats up quick in the microwave, and tastes so good with a splash of milk (or heavy cream, or in this case half & half - use what ya' got!). Easy peasy comfort. 


Baked Oatmeal
Adapted from Gourmet magazine, December 2007


Dry Ingredients                                   

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins*                                           
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk**
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping Ingredients

• 2 packed tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil/butter/spray an 8-inch square glass baking pan. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl until smooth; add to dry and mix well. Pour into baking dish and distribute evenly. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over. Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool slightly before cutting into serving pieces. Serve with milk. Or heavy cream. Or half & half. Whatever you've got. 

Notes
Double the recipe for a 9x13inch pan version.
I've not tried egg substitutes, but you might try 2 tablespoons of ground chia seeds in 1/2 cup water. 
*Raisins: we've used both golden and dark and both are fine. I like to rehydrate and plump them up a bit by warming gently in some apple cider. Drain well before using. 
**Milk: the original recipe called for whole milk. That works. So does 2%, skim, lactose-free 2%, and both original or vanilla almond milk (haven't tried chocolate). For us, soy milk didn't quite have the right flavor.