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Cold Weather Cooking
The key ingredient you need for a really good soup: broth or stock
Nothing says cold weather cooking like a pot of soup, simmering away on the stove. There are countless recipes for delicious soups, but what is the key to making a really great one? I would argue that the key to a really good soup is the base: a well-made broth or stock.
But, what is the difference between stock, broth, and what about this bone broth we keep hearing about?
A stock is made with vegetables and bones as the base. In classic French cooking techniques, a white stock is made from bones that have been blanched first, meaning that the resulting broth is light in colour, and suited to lighter sauces and soups. A brown stock is made from bones that have been roasted first, and usually includes the addition of tomato (paste, skins, etc). Brown stocks have the most robust flavour and colour. If you are going to use leftover turkey or chicken bones to make a stock, try roasting the carcass in the oven first, and roasting the vegetables too!
A really good stock will have a high gelatin content from the bones - and once cooled, will even be a little bit solid. If you would like to go plant based to make a stock, you won’t get the gelatin content, but you can roast the vegetables first, and still enjoy that deep, robust flavour. Be sure to include mushrooms for great umami.
A broth is made with a combination of vegetables and meat. The resulting colour and flavour is more delicate than a stock. You can try cooking a chicken broth by simmering vegetables with a whole chicken, and then gently pulling the meat to create a family meal. Add some noodles and fresh herbs and you’re all set.
Finally, what is bone broth? Many chefs would argue that it is actually a stock, because it involves vegetables and bones. The difference is that bone broths are simmered for hours, extracting collagen and gelatin from the bones. If you would like to try to make your own bone broth, I would recommend using your slow cooker so that you can simmer it safely all day.
My best tip for making your own broths or stocks: the freezer is your friend. If you do cook with meat, then save the bones in freezer bags and use within 3 months. For the vegetable component: save all the peelings and scraps and keep them in a freezer bag too. I currently have a freezer bag of carrot peels, celery leaves, celery ends, onion skins, garlic skins, potato peels and parsnip peels. I also toss in the stems from parsley and thyme. Here is my favourite broth recipe using vegetable scraps.
Stocks and broths are delicate, so cool them down quickly after cooking. Decant into freezer containers or mason jars and refrigerate to use within four days, or freeze to use later. Label your containers with the date to help you keep track.
So here’s to cooking up a fabulous soup of the day with a great broth or stock as the base!
Let me know what you create. Email Amanda at: cooking@nourishproject.ca.
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