When the cold weather sets in and my little ones begin our household cycle of sniffles, coughs, and crumpled tissues, I take a deep breath and right before I exhale I can smell the deep and rich aroma of chicken soup, the one I grew up on. Even thinking about the soup brings a calm and centering moment into my chaotic mommy-life.
Chicken, meat and fish soup can go by many names, known by various generations and traditions alike. More recently, bone broth has received attention as a new trend. If you are a strict adherent to the paleo diet this may be old news. According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride author of GAPS Gut and Psychology Syndrome “meat and fish broth are the building blocks for rapidly growing cells in the gut and they have a soothing effect on areas of inflammation in the gut” and are “full of vitamins, minerals and amino acids”.
I’ve been eating chicken soup made from whole chicken carcasses, including chicken feet and other insides, my whole life. My step-mom would tell me the feet gave the soup special antibiotic properties, and it always helped to mend the body and mind. I remember her making special trips to the farmer’s market to buy pounds of feet to freeze. The broth was much thicker than the average, and the taste was rich and nourishing. I never really thought much about her special broth. I guess because she discarded the carcass and feet without much notice from us. She made this soup, I imagine, as healing elixir because it was tradition. She watched her mother doing the same. She breathed deep the aroma and perhaps was momentarily calm. I always felt better after having some of her homemade chicken soup. I felt loved. I felt nourished.
As a mother now myself, I make my own homemade broth in a similar fashion to my step-mother’s. Yes, I too keep pounds of chicken feet in the freezer and make my own nourishing elixir throughout the winter months.
When I talk to my Dad, a European immigrant, about how his mom or grandmother made soup, he remembers that they used every part and boiled it in a big pot. A whole chicken could feed his family for a week. This traditional along, with my Oma [my grandmother] rubbing onions on his head when he was sick have lead to long family discussions surrounding food and health (I’m not sure if this remedy will popularize soon, but one never knows!).
It’s wonderful to see a resurgence of the tradition of bone broth. People are looking back at what their ancestors did—finding comfort and validation. Our mothers did know what they were doing!
If you are interested in making your own stock, it’s not too difficult, just a bit time consuming. Check out my bone broth recipe below. If that’s too much work and you’re in the NYC area you can checkout Brodo in the East Village where you can order bone broth to go at the window.
Bone Broth Recipe
Time: All day
Equipment: Stock Pot and Sieve
Ingredients:
- 1 medium chicken carcass (preferably from a local butcher or pastured organic), cover fully with water
- 3 -5 chicken feet (optional)
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled, trimmed, and cut in half
- 2 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 2 pieces
- 2 medium celery, washed and cut into 2 pieces
- one bunch parsley
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
Procedure:
- Place the bones and vegetables in a large (at least 6-quart) stockpot, make sure carcass is fully covered
- Add all other ingredients
- Cover and bring to boil, bring down to a simmer for 8 hours adding more water if needed
- Strain the broth through a sieve
- Season as desired
- Drink as is or make into a soup (bonus: can store in freezer for up to six months)