One food trend of the past couple of years shows little signs of simmering down. I’m talking here of “bone broth”, which gained a higher profile thanks in part to its popularity among folks following the Paleo diet, which advocates eating some version of a stone age diet.
Bone broth is still everywhere, and you know a trend has hit a funny bone when family pets can find matching versions of people foods. That’s right, you can even buy “bone broth” specially made for Fido! Hmm…give a dog a bone, and you feed him for a day. Give a dog bone broth, and you nourish him for a lifetime? Whatever the idea behind it, there is a lot of bone broth going around!
November was unusually cold, and three weeks of hectic travel to, within, and back from India, saw us arrive home in Vancouver in just the perfect stage of exhaustion to fall prey to the first passing flu virus. And that’s precisely what we did. So, November, creaked by, all aching bones, bleary eyes, and boxes of tissue.
When you can hardly stand to be in the kitchen, it’s best to keep things simple. What better time then, to return to the simplest, and best version of a nourishing”bone broth”. That’s right, taking a cue from those Paleo dieters, it was time to trot out my ancestors recipe for a nourishing, long simmered potion – Grandma’s “bone soup”!
This was a staple food for anyone recovering from illness, nursing mothers, or those on a restricted diet. Grandmother’s soup was cooked in a large ceramic jar (barani) that stood in a gently simmering basin of water for the better part of the day. The exceptionally tender bits of meat that resulted from this long, gentle cooking were often reserved for the children of the house. The soup could be sipped or eaten with a portion of soft cooked rice, and a little of the meat, and a dash of lime juice for vitamin C. This is the best kind of cold comfort. 🙂
Bone Soup
So trendy, grandma would be amused!
- 1/2 kg mutton bones (small lamb shanks work really well)
or - 1 small chicken
- 2-3 medium onions, sliced
- 1″ ginger, crushed
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns, lightly crushed
- 2 tsp cumin, lightly rubbed
- Salt to taste
Combine all the ingredients (go easy on the salt and add it as needed once the broth is done) and cover with 1-1 1/2 litres of water.
Cook for seven hours in a sealed clay jar, set in a pan of water. Just kidding! Grab your pressure cooker and get that soup going!
Chicken will cook much faster than lamb or mutton, so keep an eye on the timing.
Skim off any floating residue, strain, and use as required.
