My son has been ill over the last two weeks, so things have been a little slower around here. All he would eat for an entire week was soup. When he asked me for his favorite chicken noodle, I was able to make it within an hour because of a healthy supply of homemade chicken stock.
I decided to research why people crave soup when they aren’t feeling well and discovered that it’s due to our informal intuition about feeding the sick, which has not changed despite advances in nutrition and medicine. For generations we have been eating soup when we are ill. Even though soup is good for us, it’s comfort is rooted in the nurturing we received when we were young. We typically hover over our ill with bowls of soup in hand. Personally, I was taught that food heals a sick body. Soup soothes your throat, it warms your body, and it actually feels good on your empty stomach, all while providing nutrition.
Thus it’s perplexing why we are getting away from the act of making soup from scratch. The problem of too much convenience is becoming dependent on that convenience and allowing it to diminish time honored skills. It makes things that take time seem not worth pursuing, even if they are simple.
Soup begins with a stock, or broth, base that is not only simple to make, but is quite sustainable because it uses leftover meat bones. But, as with all good things, it takes time.
Is It Worth It?
Historically, our connections with food stem from our family traditions. Soup is nutritional and easy to digest, making it an ideal food to eat while convalescing. However, we associate many family memories to soup. Most people can recall their mother or grandmother feeding them steaming bowls of soup while lying on the sofa trying to recover from a cold. Their loving care was just as nurturing as the soup itself. We crave comfort, particularly when we are sick. No matter how old we get, there are foods that bring us right back to the comforting hands of our mothers. Soup does that.
I make and eat a lot of soup and it always reminds me of my grandmother’s house. My grandma’s soup was infamous and to this day is called “Grandma Mary’s Soup”. It is a beef and tomato based broth, sometimes containing bits of carrot or chunks of beef. You add whatever noodle you desire (we all have our favorite) and then you make sure to grate some parmesan on your bowl. The parmesan melts into the hot broth and adds some extra saltiness that soothes our inflamed throats. This soup equates to comfort and healing in our family.
The start of my grandma’s famous soup was a hearty stock. I remember her browning beef bones (to release the blood) as her sink full of just-washed and peeled tomatoes stood waiting to be added to the big kettle. The fragrance of the browning meat with the just pulled vegetables swirled in the air. It was a promise of a delicious meal, whether you were sick or not. She added beautifully ripe vegetables, including carrots, onions, celery and parsley. It would all simmer gently for hours until the water she filled to the brim was perfectly infused and reduced. The secret ingredient is the celery leaves. My grandma loved celery leaves for flavoring everything from sugo to meats. She always told me that the flavor of the celery is in the leaves.
For me, that kettle of stock signified the highest level of love and devotion. I know how much love went into making that broth. To some, it seems like a lot of work just for some liquid. But honestly, I never met anyone who was not comforted or healed by eating it. Every time I eat my grandma’ soup I feel wrapped up in her love, even if she isn’t here to wrap me physically in her arms. That’s the power of making homemade soup for your family.
I was reminded of this recently when I was sick. My mom brought over a big container of my grandma’s soup. It reminded me how important that simple act of bringing food to someone who is ill. When someone brings us soup, we know how much they care, especially when they took the time to create that soup themselves. I don’t get that same homey feeling from conveniently opening a can of soup.
Another reason to make soup is that store bought soup is not as nutritious as homemade soup. Canned soup often contains the chemical BPA. Moreover canned soups are high in sodium, unnecessary sugar and preservatives. When choosing convenient soup, opt for fresh soups instead of tinned.
My Homemade Stock Plan
They say “fail to plan or plan to fail”. When I realized that I was opting for convenient stocks and broths too much, I realized I just needed a better plan so I wouldn’t fail at making my food from scratch.
First, I started to order my meat. I have found that when you have a freezer full of meat it reduces your last minute trips to the grocery store. It also solves the “what’s for dinner” dilemma. Further, it saves money when you create a monthly meal plan and order your meat according to that plan. However, my most important reason is that I want to live more sustainably by eating meat from animals raised humanely and organically. There aren’t a lot of options for this from the big box store. My goal is to support organic farmers and so, ordering my meat helps me do this. I currently order the bulk of my meat from Wild Pastures, a company that believes in sustainability and supporting small organic farmers. Click this link to get $20 off your order: https://wildpastures.com/refer/signup?invite_code=XAH1O00I5FD9MONW .
Every month I get at least two whole chickens in my order. Once a month I cook my whole chickens for Sunday dinner. I will typically roast them both at the same time because I also plan my menu to accommodate dinners that week with the leftover chicken. The chicken carcasses are then used to make chicken stock. If I have enough broth in my freezer for humans, I make bone broth for my dogs.
Making Homemade Stock
Broth recipes haven’t changed much over the years. Many recipes stem from a time before any of us remember. Quite honestly, it’s the simplest form of nutrition to boil down meat bones, vegetables and herbs. The point is to make a broth that is nutritional and healthy.
In the stores you will note a difference between “stock” and “broth”. Traditionally, commercial stock is made by simmering animal bones and vegetables in water, while broth is made by simmering bones, meat and vegetables. If you are purchasing stock or broth, I recommend stock. I always found the broth to be tastier, but at the same time, broth contains more sodium. Also, I found that most of the commercial broths/stocks are not gut friendly because they contain some form of garlic. While I love garlic, those following a low FODMAP diet need to avoid it. I typically do not add garlic to my homemade stock.
When I talk about making homemade stock, it’s equal to homemade broth in my mind. We’re using animal bones with the meat attached, along with vegetables and herbs, to create a rich and flavorful base for our soups and stews. The bones and meat slowly release protein and gelatin that create a rich flavor and dark color.
My Grandma’s famous soup starts with a stock made with beef bones. It also has a tomato vegetable base. I typically make it once a year in the fall when the garden tomato haul comes in. The other parts of the year I make chicken stock. Chicken stock is the most versatile stock to have on hand, and can be used for a wide range of recipes. Once you understand the process of making your own stock, you can use any type of bones and vegetables you have available.
For my typical chicken stock I place the roasted chicken carcasses in my big kettle and completely cover them with water, however much it takes. I then add onions, carrots, celery (with the leaves), bay leaves, herbs, salt and peppercorns. The fresher the vegetables, the more flavorful your stock. Bring the stock to a gentle boil, then turn the heat to its lowest setting and let is gently simmer for at least six to eight hours. It will reduce and condense into a rich broth. When it’s cool, remove the carcasses and the bones then place the kettle into your refrigerator. The next day you can skim the fat off the top, strain it and divide it up into containers to freeze.
You can do this same method to make beef and vegetable stock. Boiling bones and/or vegetables for many hours will result in a wonderful stock. In fact, when you have leftover vegetable pieces just freeze them in ziploc bags until you’re ready to make stock. You can literally toss in whatever vegetables you have and make a tasty broth.
To turn your stock into soup, all you do is remove a frozen container of stock from your freezer and thaw it out. To thaw quickly, place the container in a pan of warm water. It will thaw within an hour. Simmer it on the stove and add veggies, cooked meat and noodles of your choice. I typically will add some extra salt and pepper too. Simmer the veggies with the broth for 30 minutes, then add the noodles until soft.
This is all you need to do to implement a plan to become more sustainable and make homemade stock. Whether you call it stock or broth, plan to turn it into soup or use it for cooking, making this homemade liquid gold is easy and better for you than commercial products. Mostly, your family will appreciate your loving homemade soups. It’s an easy way to leave a legacy.
