Homemade Beef Broth and Italian Wedding Soup Recipes
Kye woke up sick with a cold :( So today turned into cooking day instead of the farm festival. I had already started the stock last night, and I made him Italian Wedding soup to make him feel better. Recipes are under the cut. Cheers!
Beef Broth (a.k.a. bone broth)
3 large marrow bones
about 6-8 neck bones preferrably with meat still on them
1 large white onion
1/4 clove of garlic
3 carrots
3 celery (pieces)
salt, peppercorns, parsley, bay leaf, onion powder (hey I like onion), thyme or tarragon, oregano
Cheesecloth.
A fine mesh colander or a colander.
Toss in all bones in a large pot that has a good lid. Cover with good water (I live in Delaware - we have awful water so we have to use a water filter). The water should cover the bones with just a little extra. Add spices. A handful of salt, a dozen black peppercorns, a big handful of parsley, 2 bay leaves, a handful of onion powder, a little oregano and thyme or tarragon (whichever you like better). Put the lid on the pot and set the burner to low. If you have a gas stove, I suggest using a large crockpot on low instead. When it comes to spices, you can always add more. If unsure, add less, wait a few hours, taste test it, add more as needed. Repeat.
Check on it once an hour for the first 5 hours or so and skim off any scum. Give it a stir around 5 or 6 hours.
12-14 hours later - Skim off any scum. Rough cut onion and garlic. Peel carrots, chop carrots and celery in half. Toss in the pot and stir.
8 hours later (about 20 hours total cooking time) - Grab a marrow bone with tongs. If the marrow inside the bones has mostly (90% or more) melted away, it's straining time. Use tongs to grab the neck bones with the meat and set them aside to cool off. Put the colander over another large pot or any big container where the colander rests securely. Do a rough strain. Rinse out the original pot. Rinse off the colander. Put the colander on the original pot. Secure 1 layer of cheesecloth in the colander. Pour the stock slowly in allowing it to drain.
Congratulations, you now have beef stock! I like to shred the good neck meat (removing any fat, gristle and bone from it) and add it back in. That's optional.
Italian Wedding Soup
4-5 Carrots
3-4 Celery
half a small white, yellow or vidalia onion.
3-4 ounces of spinach (if frozen, thaw and dry it with towel or paper towels)
half a box of orzo or acme di pepe
The MiniMeatballs Ingredients
In a bowl, break up the egg, add in the beef, a tiny bit of mustard (1/4 teaspoon), 2 teapsoons of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper and garlic, and 1 tsp of onion powder. Mix with hands. Add the parmesan (4 tablespoons). Add the breadcrumbs. I add them and mix till it feels right. It doesn't take a lot. A large handful maybe?
Make tiny mini meatballs and just drop them into the broth. Cover.
Cook orzo or acme di pepe according to box instructions. Add to stock. Shred and add spinach.
Cover and turn off heat. Allow it to cool down a bit before serving. Allow it to cool down a lot before refridgerating or freezing. If freezing, many small containers yields better results than 1 big one.
If you want rice instead of pasta, I suggest keeping the rice separate from the stock. It won't refridgerate or freeze well in the stock.
Beef Broth (a.k.a. bone broth)
3 large marrow bones
about 6-8 neck bones preferrably with meat still on them
1 large white onion
1/4 clove of garlic
3 carrots
3 celery (pieces)
salt, peppercorns, parsley, bay leaf, onion powder (hey I like onion), thyme or tarragon, oregano
Cheesecloth.
A fine mesh colander or a colander.
Toss in all bones in a large pot that has a good lid. Cover with good water (I live in Delaware - we have awful water so we have to use a water filter). The water should cover the bones with just a little extra. Add spices. A handful of salt, a dozen black peppercorns, a big handful of parsley, 2 bay leaves, a handful of onion powder, a little oregano and thyme or tarragon (whichever you like better). Put the lid on the pot and set the burner to low. If you have a gas stove, I suggest using a large crockpot on low instead. When it comes to spices, you can always add more. If unsure, add less, wait a few hours, taste test it, add more as needed. Repeat.
Check on it once an hour for the first 5 hours or so and skim off any scum. Give it a stir around 5 or 6 hours.
12-14 hours later - Skim off any scum. Rough cut onion and garlic. Peel carrots, chop carrots and celery in half. Toss in the pot and stir.
8 hours later (about 20 hours total cooking time) - Grab a marrow bone with tongs. If the marrow inside the bones has mostly (90% or more) melted away, it's straining time. Use tongs to grab the neck bones with the meat and set them aside to cool off. Put the colander over another large pot or any big container where the colander rests securely. Do a rough strain. Rinse out the original pot. Rinse off the colander. Put the colander on the original pot. Secure 1 layer of cheesecloth in the colander. Pour the stock slowly in allowing it to drain.
Congratulations, you now have beef stock! I like to shred the good neck meat (removing any fat, gristle and bone from it) and add it back in. That's optional.
Italian Wedding Soup
4-5 Carrots
3-4 Celery
half a small white, yellow or vidalia onion.
3-4 ounces of spinach (if frozen, thaw and dry it with towel or paper towels)
half a box of orzo or acme di pepe
The MiniMeatballs Ingredients
- ground beef (the smallest they sell and I'm sorry, I forget the weight on it). You could also do a ground turkey or a combo or ground meats.
- Grated parmesan cheese
- brown mustard or regular mustard
- 1 egg
- bread crumbs or panko
- salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder
In a bowl, break up the egg, add in the beef, a tiny bit of mustard (1/4 teaspoon), 2 teapsoons of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper and garlic, and 1 tsp of onion powder. Mix with hands. Add the parmesan (4 tablespoons). Add the breadcrumbs. I add them and mix till it feels right. It doesn't take a lot. A large handful maybe?
Make tiny mini meatballs and just drop them into the broth. Cover.
Cook orzo or acme di pepe according to box instructions. Add to stock. Shred and add spinach.
Cover and turn off heat. Allow it to cool down a bit before serving. Allow it to cool down a lot before refridgerating or freezing. If freezing, many small containers yields better results than 1 big one.
If you want rice instead of pasta, I suggest keeping the rice separate from the stock. It won't refridgerate or freeze well in the stock.