Grandma’s Superfood: Make Your Own Good Old Bone Broth (Recipe)
With fermentation and bone broth, it’s similar to ketogenic diet or Paleo: not only is it experiencing a renaissance, but especially in the USA, it’s a downright hype. Our modern medical knowledge about protein and fat metabolism confirms what was only suspected in the past: the healing power broth is nutritious, good for the gut, and invigorates the spirits. But why is that, and how can I make my own bone broth?
Why is Bone Broth Healthy?
The Secret of Nutritional Power
Marrow bones, cartilage, and bone skin contain collagen, which is converted into gelatin by heat and gives the soup its body and texture. The long simmering allows the nutrients to develop a unique aroma, which the Japanese call “Kokumi” and Europeans refer to as “mouthfeel.” This unique flavor is primarily due to the combination of glutamic acid, fatty acids, minerals, trace elements, and amino acids released through long cooking.
So Nutritious, So Healthy
Especially with digestive issues or a leaky gut syndrome (perforated gut), poorly digested proteins can penetrate the intestinal wall. In this case, our body’s lymphatic defense system recognizes them as “foreign” and can trigger allergic reactions. This is not the case with the smallest building blocks of proteins – amino acids – or with albumin. And thus, the next secret is revealed: proteins are among the nutrients with the greatest allergenic potential. Therefore, a broth like bone broth, where the food components are converted into the smallest molecules through long cooking (at least 3 hours), is not only aromatic but also beneficial in multiple ways: it tastes good, warms, and helps us regain our health faster. A good addition to your healthy diet and rightly called a superfood, as we believe.
Recipe Tip for Your Bone Broth
Make Your Own Bone Broth
(Soup from Beef Bones, Pork Bones, or Chicken Bones)
Ingredients:
- 1.5 kg beef, pork, or chicken bones – coarse pieces
(preferably organic and not from factory farming!) - 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2–3 tsp sea or crystal salt, finely ground
- 2 tbsp coconut vinegar
- Cold, preferably osmosis-filtered water
- 1/2 cup fresh herbs, especially rosemary (also thyme, oregano, or sage and chervil to taste)
Preparation:
- Place the bones, vegetables, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and coconut vinegar in a large pot.
- Add enough, preferably filtered water, to cover all ingredients.
- Add the herbs of your choice to the broth according to taste.
- Bring the whole thing to a boil over high heat and let it cook for about 30 minutes. Then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently.
- Now cook the whole thing on very low heat for at least 3 hours up to 1-2 days. The longer you cook, the more gelatin and minerals are extracted from the bones.
- When the broth is ready, strain it through a sieve and discard the solid residues.
- You can now enjoy the finished broth or freeze it in portions, so you always have a good base for soups or similar at home.
Additional Tips for Your Bone Broth:
- Always add a splash of good vinegar (e.g., 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar) to the meat broth. It helps extract valuable minerals from the bones, making them part of the broth and neutralizing the acidity of the vinegar.
- Roast the bones beforehand at 190°C for 50-60 minutes for smaller bones. Use the legs for chickens, as they contain more collagen and help thicken the broth. Roasting adds extra flavor and a brownish color to the soup. Alternatively, you can prepare the bone broth without roasted bones and achieve the roastiness by roasting onions. We personally prefer fish, beef, and chicken over pork.
- Cover the roasted bones with cold, filtered water (preferably osmosis-filtered). The purer the water, the clearer the broth. Additionally, cold water extracts certain proteins like albumin from the bones, making the broth even clearer.
- Add herbs and vegetables according to your personal taste. Rosemary is particularly suitable for extracting calcium from the bones.
Enjoy preparing and savoring your own healthy bone broth!
Did You Know…?
Tips and Info on Bone Broth
A broth made from bones has clear culinary and health advantages over a simple beef, chicken, or vegetable broth. Bone broth is not only healthy but also more flavorful and provides additional nutritional benefits through the collagen released from bones, cartilage, and marrow. Collagen is the basis for natural thickening, so you don’t need a roux, which only adds unnecessary unhealthy carbohydrates through processed extraction flours to a recipe.
To achieve the clearest and most nutritious broth possible, fresh ingredients like vegetables, herbs, meat, and bones are essential. The fat layer that forms on the surface after simmering and cooling the soup can be skimmed off to save calories or during fasting. To skim the coarse fat from the warm soup at the end of the cooking process, a fine sieve with an additional cloth is required.
Please do not make the mistake of straining the broth through a paper towel! This dissolves substances like chlorine bleach and glyphosate present in the towels. Both substances are suspected of being carcinogenic. When fine-straining with food, always use a linen cloth that you can wash again.
