Homemade Super Broth, for Post-Surgery and Soothing My Sleeve

This is a pay-it-forward post:  Maybe you could make use of the recipe during illness or post-surg. 

My long-term NUT taught me to make Super Broth. Post-surgery this week, I'm using about a quart a day--either plain or with unflavored protein powder. 

While as thin as regular broth, Super broth is rich (without being fatty) because the vinegar pulls minerals and other nutrients from the bones.Do not plan to use the chicken flesh when this soup is cooked. All flavor will have left the meat and veggies, and they will taste like cardboard. 

Place the following in your largest soup pot:
1 cleaned roaster chicken and enough water to FILL POT
Beak and feet of chicken (cleaned) if you have them
2 lb unpeeled carrots, 1 lb onions (halved), lots of celery
1/2 c cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh parsley, crushed or chopped (optional, and will turn soup green)

Heat to low boil, remove scum when it forms. Reduce to simmer 12-24 hours, longer is better.
Add water to pot often until the last hour. 
Remove from heat, add parsley if desired, cool slightly. 
Pour broth into quart containers, straining broth only with a big holed strainer.  Don't use cheesecloth. Squeeze the solids to extract all possible broth.   Discard solids. This broth is a light brown cloudy broth with some sediment from the bones. Refrigerate until fat congeals, remove fat, and freeze broth.

To use, thaw a container, heat, add spices (I like ground red pepper, salt, and either Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle or Fox Point Seasoning), and reduce the broth in a strong boil for about 5 minutes.  After reduction, a quart should yield 3 cups or less for really intense flavor. 

For beef stock, roast the bones first. For turkey stock, the carcass is enough for a milder version of the soup.

Bon Appetit'!  tracey

 

Yup!!!  Good ol' bone broth!  That's what I did with a duck the day I got home!!  But, it wasn't near as fancy.  Sure felt good going down and I know it was good for me too. 

Glad you're doing so well and thanks for posting this recipe!

I made my own chicken stock before surgery as well, but i buy a cooked rotisserie chicken, remove all the meat and save it, and then cook the bones down to nothing with all the veggies. :) However, I don't cook for 24 hours, just 2 or so. And I add a lot of garlic! Homemade is the best! :) 

Abby

 very cool ya'll   homemade stock  making  is  something  I havent  tried yet ...well maybe just ONE  harrowing  experiment when i was a  kid  trying to make all the recipes in the Joy of Cooking ... 

may I suggest if Ure near a Chinese grocery  store to buy  a box  of the  varied dried mushrooms  U can add to chicken stock and also   boil it in ?  I have the mushrooms here  ...  and have  for the longest  ...I guess its time to go out n find a chicken .. 

oooh..... that's a GREAT idea!  As soon as I can have purees, I can do that... I keep dried mushrooms in my pantry for use in a Korean rice noodle dish-- that i won't be having for a good long while. Thanks Ava. 

When I was an early out post op, I would freeze my broth in ice cube trays.  My pouch was small & couldnt handle too much at a time so I would just pop out 1 or 2 cubes of broth & nuke it.  Cindy

My dear sister made me homemade broth and chicken soup puree and brought it to me after surgery.  What a life saver.  Real food tasted so good after all the sweet and weird taste from surgery.  She froze it in ice cube trays and it was wonderful to be able to pop 2 cubes in a dish for an instant meal when I was suppose to do 6 a day.  I still freeze leftovers that way a lot.

OMG Raggety...did you say BEAK AND FEET?????   AHHHHHHHH...  I've never cooked a beak or feet? 

My Mom always told of a story when my Dad's Dad brought her a chicken and it was her first time to de-feather.   ALWAYS makes me laugh when I hear stories about the poor chickens. 

Broth sounds great -- thanks for the directions!!!

Sounds like you are doing great with post-op!

Meg

i've never used the beak/feet thing, but it IS the recipe.  I've seen both at the oriental markets wrapped in cellophane packs in the meat dept. Myself, i just can't wrap my chef's hat around the idea....

Noting this down in my extensive post-op list. What a great idea.. especially with the ice cube trays!