Discover how to make an excellent homemade broth – vegetable or not – healthy and free of preservatives easily and in a short time.
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The broth is one of those essential basic preparations, especially in Italian cuisine, used to make many many recipes.
Nowadays, we can buy many types of ready-made broths, that we often lose the taste and simplicity of making at home.
But, what for practicality often becomes a habit, exposes our body to many preservatives and glutamates, which are not much genuine, and sometimes unhealthy.
So, that’s why I always prefer to make broth at home, starting from fresh ingredients.
And therefore, I want to suggest that you do the same too. Firstly because it is healthier, secondly because it takes very little time and zero skills, thirdly because you can discover a new anti-waste and empty fridge way.
It is simple, requires little effort and is healthy!
Some Tips
1. Use food scraps. Especially to make a veg broth, stock up on all the vegetable scraps you have in the fridge. In this way, you will get a genuine flavor and improve the final result for the broth. you can also use the stems or parts you would normally throw away. Once flavored, simply wash off the residues and strain your broth.
2. The Right Water Temperature. To obtain a good broth, it is good to start by pouring the ingredients into a pot with cold water. Keep in mind that the more the broth cooks, the tastier it will be.
3. Pay attention to Cooking Times. For a good result, calculate the cooking time from when the broth starts to boil. Allow at least 1 hour from boiling for the vegetable and fish broth, and about 2.30 minutes for a meat broth.
4. Do not Overdose on Salt. During slow cooking, vegetables, meats, or fish naturally release their salts. Furthermore, the more the broth cooks, the more concentrated and flavorful it becomes. A tip I use in my kitchen is to add salt only when cooking is finished so that I can adjust as needed.
How to store the broth
One of the aspects that I love the most is what concerns the conservation of the preparations. That’s way, I often use to make large quantities of broth, which I can then keep for other occasions.
The first method to use is to pour the broth into practical glass jars. If stored when they are still hot and then closed and upside down, you can get the effect of the vacuum. When cooled, you can keep it in the freezer for about 2 months.
The second method is more practical when you need to use a little broth at a time. Take a mold for making ice cubes and pour the cooled broth into it to fill all the holes. Then store in the freezer. When you need it, all I have to do is take an ice cube/broth from the freezer and use it for the recipe you are making.
Recipes that use broth
As I explained from the beginning, the broth is used for many recipes. We can use it as a base for any cooking, traditional dishes Canederli or Tortellini.
It’s then essential for the success of any good risotto! It will give a more intense and natural flavor to your legume soups and finally it’s an excellent ally for flavored meats or roasts. Be sure to check out these awesome recipes:
Saffron and Porcini Mushrooms Risotto
Pasta and Chickpeas “alla Romana”
One Pot Cicerchie and Potatoes Soup
Veal & Pork Stew with Artichokes
In short, broth uses are truly innumerable!
How to make an Homemade Broth
Basic vegetable Broth
Wash all the vegetables well, then dice them all.
Pour them into a large pot and add two liters of cold water.
Turn on the stove over medium-low heat and let it cook slowly, for at least 1 hour from boiling.
After this time, add salt and if you wish with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
When cooked, remove the vegetables and filter the broth before using.
Basic Meat & Bones Broth
Wash all the vegetables well, then dice them all.
Pour them into a large pot and add two liters of cold water.
Add the meat, bones and spices
Turn on the stove over medium-low heat and let it cook slowly. For meat broth, cooking times are longer and your broth will have to stew for at least 2 hours on low heat (or at least 30 minutes if you use the pressure cooker).
After this time, add salt, then remove the vegetables and filter the broth before using.
Basic Fish Broth
Wash all the vegetables well, then dice them all.
Pour them into a large pot and add two liters of cold water.
Add the fishes and the parsley.
Turn on the stove over medium-low heat and let it cook slowly for about 1 hour.
When done, adjust with salt, then remove fishes and vegetables and filter the broth before using.
In conclusion
As seen, homemade broth is simple, healthy, and inexpensive. Moreover, it is so versatile that you can customize it with what you like best.
I often add courgettes or asparagus stalks to my vegetable one. But cabbage, asparagus sterns, or spices such as nutmegs are a good option too.
Like with the veg broth, also for the Meat one, you can indulge yourself and prepare it according to your liking. For example, if you want it light and thin, you can opt for the use of only chicken breast or turkey.
Fish broth is also an excellent waste saver. The fish I use in the recipe are indicative, you can add, for example, the shells of mussels or clams, or even a leftover squid.
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Fantastic post. i use broths all the time but never make my own. This is far simpler than I expected. Thanks for the great instructions.
I haven’t made my own broth yet but it has been on my to-try list forever. I didn’t know you needed to start with cold water! Thanks so much for these tips!
We always make broths, using our chicken/Turkey and beef bones. It’s such a great thing to have on hand.
I love this!!! Buy store bought can be either too expensive or if there is a cheaper one it usually has unhealthy ingredients. Thank you for this.