BEEF BROTH
Sharing Mountain Recipes
by Randi Lee Levin
When simmering a good beef broth, choose the ingredients based on your culture, personal likes and dislikes; then allow to simmer in a stock pot for hours on end. A good beef broth, just like that of a well made chicken broth, is eaten as a soup, but the leftovers (if any), can be used to enhance the flavor in an enormous number of recipes.
Makes approximately 8-10 cups
Ingredients
• 2-3 pounds of beef (brisket, chuck, sirloin or round roast), trimmed of fat
• 2-3 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup plus reserved beef roast juice or 3-4 beef bouillon cubes
• 3 quarts of water (plus 2-3 cups more added after skimming the foam)
• 2-3 celery stalks, chopped into 2-inch sections
• 2-3 carrots, chopped into 2-inch sections
• 1 medium-large whole onion, first layer peeled away
• 1/2 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon finely diced green pepper
• 1 -2 ounce bunch fresh parsley
• 1 -2 ounce bunch fresh dill
• 2-3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons teriyaki sauce (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, more can be added for taste
• Pepper to taste
Directions
1. To prepare the beef, braise it by dredging it in the flour and then heating in a large pan until brown on all sides, or cover the beef in cool water and allowing it to sit for 30-45 minutes before heating.
2. Tightly tie the parsley, dill and bay leaf with a string.
3. After the beef is braised, cover it with water, and heat over medium high until the water boils. Skim the foam from the top of the water and add remaining ingredients, plus 2 cups extra water and bring it back to a boil.
4. Decrease the heat to low and simmer until beef is tender and can be easily pierced with a fork, 5-7 hours, or longer if necessary.
5. Using a colander or large sieve and slotted spoon, remove and drain the ingredients over the pot and place them onto a large plate. You may want to separate the vegetables from the beef and place into separate piles or plates. Discard the bunch of herbs.
6. Serve the broth in individual bowls, with previously prepared thin egg noodles, alphabet noodles or rice; or cut the beef into small bite size pieces, add the pieces and the vegetables to individual serving bowls and serve.
Hints: If freezing the broth, I suggest freezing half of it in a large container and then dividing the remaining broth between separate containers to be used in various recipes and culinary creations. You can also remove the fat from the top of the soup, by placing 2 paper towels onto the top of the soup and dragging them across the liquid, hence absorbing the excess fat. It is sometimes easier to allow the soup to cool; then remove the fat after it solidifies.
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