BotH317web

February - March 2017

boatingonthehudson.com

Find Us On Facebook at Boating On The Hudson

it at all. I added a full shot glass of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar and

didn’t taste even a hint of it in the resulting broth. Now, thanks to

Allison, I will never make bone broth without it.

This column was a genuine trip. From its inception as an article

it has taken turns and twists and given us gifts along the way.

Something that started out as a simple stock, for winter stocking,

ended up being not only a game changer; it’s been a life changer.

Hell, this time last year it was even a lifesaver. We wrote about the

benefits of bone broth this time last year because of our dear, John.

It’s amazing how fast bone broth has caught on like a craze and

that there is now a whole lot more to say. First I want to call bull$#!t

on a couple of things. I was in the food store last week and saw

a new book AND a food product based on the medicinal theories

behind using bone broth as a comforting cure. They used things

like cornstarch, fillers, preservatives, artificial color and ingredients

I could not pronounce. The book spoke nothing of the origin of

the bones. That is like giving an idiot half of an education. The

point is NATURAL, natural bones from natural animals. Organic is

becoming an almost controversial term, unfortunately making it

open for personal interpretation. Advertising and marketing can

make the consumer think they are buying something “healthy”

which in real life amounts to nothing more than water salt and

caramel coloring. If you think you are going into the store, buying

a can of average broth off the shelves for medicinal purposes, you

are mistaken. Unfortunately. I wish it were not that way but there

is very little if any nutrition or protein in that can. Now, if the can

is labeled organic or all natural and has minimal ingredients, give

it a whirl. I like Muir Glenn and Pacific. But if you are going for a

classic red and white can of beef broth, put it back on the shelves,

you’re better off buying orange juice. The bones and the marrow

of the animal have to be clean because that is the location of its

essential minerals. If the animal was raised in poor conditions, fed

hormone laden feed and endured antibiotics and chemicals, that

all resonates in their bones. And THAT right there is your argument

for all natural food.

John (our Publisher) two years ago, is not the only one who got

sick. This time last year we almost lost another one of our Boating

on the Hudson own. She was so ill and diminishing before our

eyes, while suffering. It was too much to watch. I do not know

how she endured. I developed a lot of opinions about our medical

industry during that time. I was watching my dearest friend, waste

away, while doctors watched with no solutions but a lot of offers

of morphine. Which, by the way has no connection to stomach

ailments. Once I brought her home from the hospital, I got bossy

(imagine that!) and went about “fixing” her system, our selves.

From where I stood, the doctors were about to kill her anyway so

what worse could I do?? To add another obstacle, there was now

FODMAP. Look it up, it will make your head spin. It’s a no’s and

yes list of foods she can and cannot have. Onions, garlic, celery…

regular aromatics used in say, soup.… not on the yes list. I needed

a way to get liquid protein in her. I pulled out my biggest pot,

raided the deepest reserves from my freezer and made beef bone

broth out of nothing but beef bones, water and salt. Of course I

used Ali’s trick with the cider vinegar. The doctors and nutritionists

told us there was no protein in beef broth, they were wrong. When

doctors and nutritionists speak about food, they are talking about

the lowest grade of food. What is available on the most average

market shelf. When you are looking for something to heal you from

the inside out, you need to look a little closer to home I guess. I

know where my beef bones come from, do you? Try making this

recipe at home from scratch and you will understand why it’s worth

the trouble to seek out clean all natural beef. The difference it made

was instant and amazing. She thrived. It was delicious. And very

soon she went from weak to strong. That was the beef broth.

Making beef broth has always been an all day affair for me. Unlike

chicken, beef takes a little longer to penetrate and release all of its

yummy goodness. When I first learned this recipe almost thirty

years ago, it was all thrown in raw and set on the stove for 8 hours.

I thought it laborsome and did not endure it often. I wonder what

teenage me would have thought about this current execution?

Probably think I was jack-nuts. Back then I had no idea how much

I would care. But I do care now; very, very much. I care about the

quality of my food, our food. I care about chemicals, hormones,

pesticides and the insertion they have had into our population. I

get preachy when it comes to the quality standards that are allowed

in food. I have a food license, it was incredibly difficult to get; it took

years and a small fortune (not to mention the multiple gray hairs).

I twist myself into a pretzel insuring that my ingredients are pure

and natural and when I see the long list of artificial ingredients on

something as simple as a can of clear beef broth, my head spins. So,

I make my own. From organic, local beef, I got converted through

education and flavor.

The purpose inmy house, for stock, broth or soup, is often nursing.

If I feel poorly I reach into my freezer and pull out a small container

of bone broth, it’s instinct. Maybe being Jewish, I have an affinity

for chicken soup as a cure for the common cold (or for the common

life). However it is as a Mother that I have learned the value of a

protein packed clear liquid when my children or Husband or

any member of my village is sick. The minerals in the bones, the

collagen from the marrow, the vitamins from the meat, all soothe

our tummies, throats and tame our illnesses when the cold winter

weather roars. Broth is medicinal; at least I believe it to be. So when

I am cooking up a large batch to store up for the winter I reach for

the finest of ingredients.

Shunpike Dairy is my current beef knuckle and marrowbone

dealer. Liz not only has the best raw milk in the world, but also has

the best tasting beef (as well as many other products ranging from

eggs to pork and chicken). Shunpike Dairy’s got the cleanest beef

product I have ever worked with. Vicky and I met Liz and started

drinking her milk, years ago. Her interests and her farm have grown

and when we say“Liz meat”the kids roar with approval. They know

a good meal is coming. We started with cross shank bones and

slowly worked our way through neck bones, short ribs to tailbones

and every bone in between. When you are using good quality

beef, all the bones are good bones. Marrow bones are a particular

favorite of mine. They are sexy and remind me of my youth. Liz,

and her delights are available at Shunpike Dairy, Address: 1348

Shunpike, Millbrook, NY 12545

Phone (845) 702-6224

WWW.Shunpike.com

First, oil ‘em up good, salt ‘em generously and roast ‘em on high

in the oven. I use the largest roasting pan I can find, to get them

all done at once. There will be a good deal of liquid at the bottom

of the pan after the roasting, you are going to want that liquid to

go into your broth so don’t disregard or discard it. Second, when

preparing the vegetables, peel them, but leave them whole. Beef

takes time on the stove and you want the veggies to be able to hold

up to the long term cooking. Also, I like a clear broth. Cutting up

the vegetables and futzing with the soup once it’s on the stove will

result in cloudy, particle-filled broth. Which is just as tasty but has

limitations as an ingredient. Say, as in, wanting to make French

Onion Soup. (The recipe is on YouTube don’t worry.)

Third, find your biggest pot. Fourth, cover with a lot of water

and bring to a rolling boil. Fifth, after boiling for thirty to forty-

five minutes, reduce to a simmer for a minimum of six hours.

So, you want beef and bones that are the highest quality. That

means all natural or organic. It makes sense to invest in bones

that come from high quality meat. It’s going in your mouth!

Being that we are using the bones and not cuts of sirloin, the

cost should not be high and past frozen bones will work just as

well as fresh. Most butchers are happy to sell their soup bones

off. I keep several different cuts in my freezer. As for seasonings,

I like bay leaf, whole black peppercorn, dried thyme twigs, loose

thyme leaves, shallots and garlic. All are great flavorings for the

beef; they seem to marry up nicely.

Cover the bones and veggies with lots and lots of water. To

begin with I fill the pot up almost to the top. Bring the whole pot

to a rolling boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. This would

be the time to remove what I refer to as the SCUZ. I am sure, in a

fancy cooking school somewhere, there is a proper name for the

white, to gray to brown foam that rises to the top of the pot as

the water boils. Pay attention to the color of the scuz. First it will

be white frothy and bubbly, then as the beef cooks and releases

small particles that rise to the top and will eventually become

brown. There are those, such as myself, that are particular about

clear broth, so scuz is the enemy, I like to remove it with a flat

spoon and keep a glass measuring cup on the side to spoon it

into. Along with scuz, fat rises to the top and this process will

help remove the fat as well. I like to separate and keep the fat for

things like making popovers and sautéing. People also remove

the scuz because it is ugly and therefore unappetizing. Vicky

refused to put the cooking pot photo in our collage last year due

to it’s, as she put it, “unappetizing nature and general ugliness”.

You’ll get a glimpse of what I’m talking about while watching our

instructional video and it made it into the collage this time!

Once the simmering has started, set your timer for six hours

if you plan to make beef soup or would like to use any of the

beautifully stewed meat. Otherwise, DO NOT FUTZ WITH IT, DO

NOT STIR OR POKE AT THE POT! After six hours, the meat tends to

begin to dry out, loosing some of its unctuous succulence. It still

has lots of value in the pot as flavor for the broth but for eating,

six hours is usually my limit. Since I like to keep my cauldron

boiling overnight, I take the six hour mark as my opportunity

to pick through the pot a little. Remove the carrots, any desired

meat to reserve and remove any marrow from inside the bones

(which also exposes the center of the bones to the stock). I love

bone marrow on toast. If you have small soup containers, place

the carrots and the pieces of beef into each container, cover

with broth and you can freeze them for months. Yay, beef soup!

After thoroughly picking through, place any and all remaining

bones, fat, even gristle back into the stockpot. They have more

to give to the flavor of the liquid. By the way, this would be the

only acceptable time you would be messing around with the

contents. Otherwise, leave the pot still and let the soup simmer

gently. If I didn’t make my point before, this will prevent cloudy

broth. Check on the broth every few hours.

Refill the pot with more water if you see the liquid levels

getting too low. Once the broth has finished cooking, separate

the liquids from the solids and refrigerate the liquid overnight

if possible to remove the layer of beef fat. This fat is perfect for

sautéing onions, roasting potatoes and will hold up for a while if

kept in the back of your refrigerator.

There is a simple instructional video that we made to walk you

through the recipe. It is as simple as it is delicious. Just use your

smartphone to scan the code and the video will pop right up! If

you do not have a smartphone you can always look for the video

on our website

Boatingonthehudson.com

or visit our channel on

YouTube;

search for Ivey Levy.

Special thanks to Liz Baldwin and Shunpike Dairy,

1348 Shunpike, Millbrook, NY 12545

Phone845-702-6224 • Shunpike.com

Enjoy!

The BONE BROTH SOUP that Ivey is describing

to you here, as well as Ivey and Vicky played a

HUGE part in my recovering from intestinal

surgery, done in July of 2015. I am not going to

go into all the details here, but as of this writing,

and only four days after my second surgery, Ivey’s

Bone Broth, was what brought me back from the

brink.....and I am not kidding.

As soon as you drink half a cup you can feel it

going through your body. Where as any other food

just sits in your stomach, this recipe flows through

you healing you!

Stop smoking, (i never did), drink less or no

alcohol, and pay attention to what you eat.

At age 80 I will be jet sking, boating, flying, an

genrally have a good time, especially putting this

BoatingontheHudson magazine together. Thanks

to Ivey an Vicky and all the help they gave me over

the past 5 months.

John H. Vargo, Publisher