Welcome to the holiday season!!! My favorite time of year! Full of good food, family, friends, holiday cheer, and Nutcrackers (well, maybe not this year sadly #foockyoucoronavirus).
Hopefully you fully enjoyed your Thanksgiving and allowed yourself to indulge guilt-free. And if you're anything like me, it's a week later and you're still eating leftovers, which means mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and stuffing for 7 days straight. And even though there's no guilt attached, it's right about now that I start to feel a little gross & need a detox from all the rich carbs.
Today's solution can not only provide that but also carries healing nutrients to help your body repair itself in case you are one of the lucky ones to have Nutcracker gigs in the weeks ahead. The collagen, amino acids, and minerals that seep into this broth will heal and fortify your joints and soft tissues. A mug of this nutrient-dense health tonic will purify & strengthen you from the inside out. And bonus - it takes care of that turkey carcass you have hanging around in your fridge after all the meat has been picked off. It's a great way to get all the last nutrients out of that little guy.
Now, the fun part of this recipe is that there is a lot you can play with. I change this recipe every time I make it depending on what ingredients I have in my kitchen. The only things you really need are a turkey carcass (or you can even substitute a roasted chicken carcass) and water. Everything else is extra for bonus flavor and nutrients. So don't get too caught up in the ingredients if you don't have everything on hand.
Ingredients:
- turkey carcass (most of the meat picked off)*
- any leftover turkey bones, wing tips, neck, giblets, feet, etc. (all the turkey scraps)
- 2 cloves garlic (smashed)
- 4 carrots (peeled and rough chopped)
- 4 celery stalks (rough chopped)**
- 2 onions (quartered)***
- 1/2 lemon (squeezed)
- optional: 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar****
- water (enough to cover the ingredients in pot)
- salt & pepper to taste
*Roasted chicken carcass works too.
**I only had 2 stalks left in my fridge...otherwise I would have used 4 stalks ;)
***Leave the skin on for extra flavor and nutrients...just make sure to wash it.
****ACV will help dissolve the bones and cartilage so more nutrients are infused in the broth (I just didn't have any on hand)
The other factor that gives you a bit of flexibility with this recipe is time. Once the liquid comes to a low boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer for anywhere between 4 to 24 hours. The longer the broth simmers, the more nutrients are leached out of the bones, cartilage and other ingredients. A broth that simmers closer to 24 hours will be thicker and have a more gelatinous consistency once cooled (which means it has more collagen in it...which is a good thing for your body!). A 4-hour broth will still be delicious and nutritious but it will just be a less concentrated version.
My broth in the video simmered for about 8 hours. I wanted to do it longer, but your gurl here gets paranoid about leaving the stove on when she leaves the house and didn't plan her day properly for cooking this broth...so there it. 8 hours. And it came out delish. Depending on how much water you start with and how much evaporates during the cooking process, this could make quite a bit of broth. It will store in the fridge for up to 1 week, and then you can freeze whatever is left for later use in soups and stews.
Follow the video below for step-by-step instructions & have fun!
My final note is that this health tonic definitely tastes better when sipped from a holiday mug with Christmas lights in the background. Just sayin'...it's been scientifically proven.
