In last week’s blog, I talked about the glories of soup on a cold day. February is a great month to focus on soup! Maybe you’ve already tried the Hearty Tomato and Grain Soup recipe I posted. I hope you enjoyed it! One of my favourite soups was always my Mom’s homemade Chicken or Turkey soup. She always made her own broth and it was so delicious. I always try to make some time to make a broth with the carcass of a chicken or turkey I’ve roasted. It’s not hard to do, but you do need to have about an hour or more to monitor the simmering pot. The taste becomes richer if you simmer it longer. For me, this is also one of those aromas that creates the comfort of home. Even if I don’t have a plan for the broth right away, I make it and freeze it to use at a later date. I find it interesting that ‘bone broth’ is such a trending phrase now because my Mom’s generation and many of us have been doing this for decades! Goodness is always in fashion and doesn’t need to be a trend!
As I said last week, prepared and condensed soups you buy in grocery stores can be tasty, but read the labels. There are many things listed on those labels that should make you think before using this food as a regular part of your weekly meals. Focus on eliminating salt and additives in your diet little by little and your palate will adjust to healthy food that is tasty too!
This week’s soup, pictured below, was made using the broth I made from the turkey we roasted at Christmas. There are no big secrets to making delicious, healthy broth from chicken, turkey or beef bones that you have collected after a lovely roast. Here is the recipe for delicious, healthy broth that will turn into a lovely soup or stew:
Chicken or Turkey Soup with Homemade Broth
My Mom often made delicious homemade chicken and turkey soup from the bones of roasted chickens or turkeys that we enjoyed for dinner. It’s easy and only takes an hour or so to watch the simmering pot to create delicious, warm your tummy soup that will be comforting and healthy any day – especially when you are feeling under the weather! “Bone broth” is becoming trendy these days, but it is really just your Mom’s homemade broth that she and those who came before her know is tasty, healthy and restorative for your busy days!
Ingredients
- 1 roasted turkey or chicken carcass with meat removed.. (Even when you have sliced off everything you think you can with the knife, pull out the other pieces and shreds and save them in a Ziploc bag to freeze for later use). Alternatively, ask your butcher for soup bones.
- 6 litres, approx of water
- 1 medium cooking onion, with skin on
- 1 large carrot
- 2 celery ribs with leaves
- 1 to 2 garlic whole garlic cloves
- 1 to 2 bay leaves
- 10 whole peppercorns
- Optional: If you have any frozen vegetable bits, like asparagus tips, add them to the simmering pot)
- fresh chopped vegetables (carrots, celery, green beans or any of your favourites to add in the last 15 minutes of cooking)
Directions
- Place all ingredients in a stock pot
- Cover with water
- Bring to a simmer – do not boil
- Simmer for 1 to 2 hours (or longer for richer flavour if you have the time)
- Remove all ingredients, strain and let broth cool
- Place in a bowl or pot in refrigerator overnight
- The next day, skim off the hardened fat on top. Strain broth and freeze broth for later use
- If you’d like to create soup right away, warm strained broth in a large pot. You’ll probably have about 4 to 5 litres of liquid
- Cook 1 cup rice or pasta according to directions and reserve to add to soup. (I like brown rice, or small pasta like Stellini or Acini de Pepe pasta, but use what you like!)
- Add chopped vegetables, reserved chicken or turkey bits, or drained and rinsed chickpeas for black beans for extra protein. It’s your soup, so add the things you like! (I only cook the added vegetable for about 15 minutes because I like them to be a little crispy
(If you have leftovers, store broth and rice/pasta separately, as the rice or pasta will absorb the liquid as it remains in the container )
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Published by everydayhomegourmet
I'm a passionate home cook who loves to make simple, readily available ingredients seem like gourmet meals. I believe everyone can learn to cook great meals. Planning ahead and simplifying your ingredients is key!
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Every Day Home Gourmet 