Food Focus: Healing Stocks and Broths

A simmering pot of stock on the stovetop was a staple in households across Europe and America 100 years ago.  Very simple yet richly healing, stock is made from animal bones (chicken, beef, or fish), vinegar, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, water, and most importantly, time.  It can be used as the base for soups, sauces, and gravy, or even enjoyed by itself at the first sign of a cold.  Stock heralds the days when nothing went to waste, when every piece of animal was sold by the butcher.  Stock is an economical way to get nourishing minerals, vitamins, gelatin among other nutrients from what is typically considered waste.  The vinegar pulls minerals from bones, so that, unlike squirrels and other rodents, we don’t have to gnaw the bones.  Bones also contain gelatin. While most people today are familiar with gelatin’s role creating Jell-o fruit desserts, gelatin has a long history of soothing the intestines, calming colds, assisting with digestion, and healing illness.  Fish stock is particularly helpful for supporting the thyroid.  Beef stock is a dark and rich broth that, while a bit more time intensive to make, is full of nutrients, gelatin, and flavor.  And chicken stock, known by some as “Jewish penicillin,” is indispensible for the winter season.  

An easy way to prepare to make stock is to save bones from chicken dishes. Next time you bake chicken, whether it is a whole chicken or legs, throw the bones into a plastic freezer bag.  Keep adding to them until you have a pound or two.  Then you’re ready to create the base for most French culinary masterpieces! 

Here's a fabulous recipe for Healing Chicken Stock.