Kyle Phillips Broth for Festive Dinners

By Kyle Phillips, About.com

Broth is one of the great inventions of all time. It serves as in ingredient in all sorts of things, from stew to risotto, and in its own right a bowl of broth is the perfect supper after a filling midday meal. For that matter, broth with tortellini or cappelletti is a standard first course at festive dinners in Northern Italy. A good bowl of broth will warm you in the winter, refresh you in the summer, and is perfect year round if you’re on a diet.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 00 minutes
Ingredients:
2-3 quarts of water
2 pounds of beef, either shanks, short plate, short ribs, or brisket.
A piece of spongy bone, or a joint, split (optional)
Half a chicken or capon
A stick of celery
A carrot
A bunch of parsley
A bunch of basil, if it’s in season
A quarter onion (optional)
A tomato (optional)
3 to 5 pepper corns
A clove (optional; it reduces sweetness in poultry-rich broths)
Salt to taste – go easy, because the broth will evaporate and get saltier as it cooks
Preparation:
Meat from older animals is better because it has more flavor, and the beef should not be too lean. A piece of spongy bone, or a joint, split, enriches the broth, though it also makes it greasier. If you want to keep the meat of the fowl from discoloring put it in a finely woven bag – it will cook just the same, and the broth will not be affected.

Start with cold water; figure about a quart of water per pound of meat. Add the meat, vegetables, and seasonings to the water at the same time. Heat the pot over a high flame until the broth comes to a boil, and then turn the heat down. Simmer the broth for a couple of hours, or until a fork easily penetrates the meat. Check the seasoning, strain the broth, let it cool, and skim the fat that rises to the surface (the best way to do this is to chill the broth and remove the fat with a fork). Use the broth to make soups or serve it by itself. When serving plain broth, most Italians will add a couple of tablespoons of fine pasta such as crumbled angel hairs to the soup pot.

Serve the meat as boiled dinner, with the sauces and vegetables you prefer. Or use the beef to make meatballs.

Note: if you are pressed for time, you can make broth from these ingredients in a pressure cooker, in about thirty-five minutes. The result isn’t quite as good, but it’s much faster.

What wine? A light red.