Turkey Bone Broth / Soup "Recipe" - health

This post started out being a response to a comment by @Vdux, where he requested my turkey bone broth/soup recipe, but it wound up being so long that I finally gave up, and made it into a post instead.

What??? Me, long-winded? Nah. ;-)

Here goes:

Recipe? People still use recipes???

LOL, I've always been more a "little of this, little of that" sort of cook. My mom gave me some basic recipes, thank goodness, but from there on out, I just grab what seems like it would be a good idea, and it usually works out well.

Usually. ;-)

The basic recipe for my bone broth, regardless whether it is beef, turkey, chicken or pork, is to cover the bones completely with filtered water, add a generous pour (I'd guess close to a cup) of organic apple cider vinegar (helps to leach the marrow and minerals from the bones), and then add vegetables . . . two or three large carrots, a couple of leeks, one or two large yellow onions, two or three large stalks of celery, a cup or so of chopped celery and/or parsley root if you can find it, and other vegetables as they occur in your pantry.

I've used potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, turnips, radishes, and pretty much any other vegetable you can think of, and even overripe apples or pears . . . they add subtlety and complexity.

I also add a heaping teaspoon of Italian seasoning, about a teaspoon each of marjoram and granulated garlic, maybe half a teaspoon each of ground turmeric, black pepper, kelp powder, dill weed and black seed (Nigella sativa), for a major immune boost, a little chipotle pepper and cayenne pepper, and anything else your gut tells you should be in there. Soups are a great place to experiment with new herbs and spices, as they are so forgiving. And always, always, I add at least a teaspoon of smoked paprika, foe that deliciously smoky flavor, and usually some mushroom powder. They add a depth and complexity that nothing else does.

Bottom line: always ask your gut. It will tell you what you need, and it will not steer you wrong.

Initially, when making the bone broth, do NOT add salt; leave that for later. In the beginning, you are endeavoring to get the most that you can from the bones, and the little bit of meat still attached, before going further. Salt at this point will impede the process.

I am also a big believer in long, slow cooking times. Most bone broth recipes call for cooking the bone broth for two to four hours. Amateurs.

I typically simmer my bone broth for two or three DAYS, almost as though I was making a hunters stew. As long as you keep an eye on it, and keep it at a slow simmer, rather than an outright boil, adding water as need to keep the bones covered, it will be good. The longer, the better. I've kept it on the back of the stove for up to a week, and it just keeps getting better and better.

Once you feel the bone broth is ready, which is a matter of personal taste, drain it with a colander, freeze part of it if desired, and pour the rest back into the well-rinsed soup pot. At this point, if your bone broth is anything like mine, it will be semi-solid at room temperature, because of all the gelatin from the bones. This is truly health-giving stuff.

Adjust seasonings as needed, and then add in the vegetables that will be part of the finished soup. I usually add in chopped celery, leek, onion, carrots, potatoes, sometimes sweet potatoes, and whatever else is handy. If I feel like a nutritional boost, I'll add in collards or kale, but I typically chop it finely first, often in the blender with some water, which I may or may not drain, depending, before adding it to the soup.

I also typically add in some wine at this point; white wine for poultry or pork; red wine for beef, though I have added red wine for poultry at times, which also came out outstandingly well. Or, for a completely different take, add in a bottle of really good beer, such as a hoppy IPA or dark ale, which can be flat-out amazing. And, once cooked, whether wine or beer, no alcohol will remain, so the soup is fine for kids . . . but will retain that amazing flavor. Great stuff.

Again, go with your gut. It will tell you what you need.

Once the vegetables, especially the root vegetables are nearly done, then add your salt, and make it real salt, such as Himalayan or Celtic, which includes a host of minerals and micronutrients in addition to the sodium.

Being Polish, my husband loves Vegeta, which is a European seasoning that is a mix of dehydrated powdered vegetables with added salt, and I do use it a lot. I'm not crazy about the added monosodium glutamate, however, so this coming season I'll be dehydrating our own vegetables, and making our own version with Himalayan, Celtic and Wieliczka salts.

The salt from Wieliczka, the ancient royal salt mines of Poland, which was one of the first places we visited in Poland when we visited Marek's family in April, 2010, is quite simply the best tasting salt I've ever used, bar none. Amazing stuff.

And we're almost out, so obviously we need to take another trip to Poland. ;-)

In this last soup, in addition to the vegetables, I added some red rice along with the vegetables, which came out amazing. Rice with potatoes? Yes. Don't knock it until you've tried it. Sometimes I add various beans for added protein. Sometimes I leave it more of a vegetable soup. I only rarely add in meat, as Marek prefers it without, but I do sometimes chop some and add a bit into mine, which adds additional protein, nutrition and flavor.

Basically, a good bone broth is a blank canvas upon which you can add your own color, create your own flavors, and it's hard to really go wrong. No matter what you do, with a good basic bone broth, the end result will be health-giving, very tasty, and far more nutritious than anything you can get at any store.

Bon appetit!

All words and images are my own. The photograph above is of the tail end of my latest large batch of turkey soup, using both the carcass of a smoked turkey breast, and of a baked free range chicken. So, so good. Taken with my Samsung Galaxy S8 Note.

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