I love to chat to my friends on the phone on my way home from work. I usually cycle between a few folks who are available to talk while their kids nap, or between calls during their work from home gig. It’s a routine I love that allows me to check in with my besties in the midst of our busy lives. I recently learned about the 8 minute phone call (featured also in the NYT) from this TikTok. It shares that a quick talk on the phone might be all it takes to help you feel really connected to your friend, and in this time of being busy and lots of things vying for our time, it’s a good reminder that it doesn’t take much to feel connected again.Â
During these calls, I often ask my friends what they are having for dinner that night. I’m genuinely curious what my buds are making on a given Wednesday - whether it is a luxurious french onion soup, a quick grilled cheese, roasted veggies and chicken, or a quick bite out between running kiddos to activities and errands. I think it’s such a loving, intimate look into our lives how we choose to spend our time preparing for and eating dinner.Â
Recently on one of these calls I shared that I was making an Asian-style broth and then using frozen mini chicken wontons (shout-out to my Costco-heads) to make a wonton soup for dinner. My friend wanted a play-by-play of what I was putting in the broth and shared that she had never thought of doing that before! I sliced the white parts of some green onions that I sautéed with some carrot coins and sliced radish, then added minced garlic and ginger with a splash of soy sauce! I had put some dried seaweed (kombu) in a jar of water earlier in the morning and then used that seaweed-y water as the broth! Once it all came to a boil, I added the wontons to cook for a couple minutes and garnished with the green onion tops! It’s a very easy and quick dinner option that uses up things I already had in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. I saved the extra broth (sans wontons) in my beloved Souper Cubes so now on a night when cooking feels like too much work I can pull those out, bring it to a boil, and toss in some of those frozen wontons!
So this is why we’re here! We’re going to dive into talking about broth and stock, and a bunch of the variations I use in my cooking.Â
Broth vs. Stock
Stock versus broth, broth or stock, stock AND broth?! How do you decide which one you need, and what is the difference between them anyway? According to an article on Food and Wine, stock is made from bones, and broth is made from flesh. Stock can be left unseasoned or low seasoned, but broth usually has some salt and pepper. You can always add more seasoningÂ
Stock tends to be slightly thicker in texture than broth since it’s getting all that good collagen from the bones of the protein. Vegetable broths and stocks are harder to distinguish if there’s no protein. Some companies add gelatin made from plants to make the veggie stocks a little thicker to mimic the texture of the protein stocks.Â
Broth & Stock Varieties
I love to keep nubs, peels, and ends of veggies in a gallon bag in the freezer that I can use for stock anytime. I also usually keep a bag of protein bones in the freezer too so if I want a chicken broth, pork broth, or beef broth, I can easily add those into the pot (or crockpot) too! If I don’t have any vegetable scraps in the freezer, I usually get a big pot of water on the stove or in the crockpot. Then I quarter an onion, chop a couple of carrots in half, throw in a bunch of garlic and herbs, and celery if I have it to make a veggie broth. After a couple of hours, I strain out the vegetable matter, leaving a little broth in the pot in case there’s some residual dirt from the peels at the bottom. Then I portion out the strained broth into jars for the fridge and 1-cup portions in Souper Cubes (silicone storage containers that I swear by) to store in the freezer.Â
Now, there are a ton of different variations for broth and stock that you can make for different meals. I’ve brainstormed a list below, but I’m sure I’ve missed some. Please tell me what else you’ve done with stocks and broths in the comments!
Dashi (Japanese fish stock): Use powdered dashi like this one to add umami flavor to water for ramen or Japanese style dishes.Â
Garlic broth: This one is delicious for roasts and braises, soup, and anything you would use veggie or chicken broth for!
Try adding lemon grass, ginger, garlic, dried mushrooms, a splash of soy sauce, and star anise to water. This broth is great for Thai or Chinese style soups or noodle dishes.Â
Veggie broth: Throw in a handful of carrots, celery, a chopped onion, as many garlic cloves as your heart desires, and any fresh herbs that are a little wilty in your fridge (parsley, sage, thyme, oregano are all great options). Add a dried bay leaf and a few whole black peppercorns for more flavor! Then simmer for an hour or two before straining out the vegetable matter.Â
Amp up any veggie broth by adding chicken or turkey bones (wings are great for this!) for chicken stock or turkey stock.Â
Add beef bones and trimmings to make beef stock or pork bones for a pork stock!
You can also use Better than Bouillon paste or bouillon cubes for a shortcut, or use them to amp up the flavor of the broth or stock that you are making from scratch!Â
No matter the amount of time you have for making broth or stock, there are so many options for you to level up your next soup, stew, or braise. I hope this gives you a little inspiration as we look ahead to closing out winter and welcoming spring!Â
Things I Like
Big into walks lately! Research shows that it strengthens connections between brain circuits. More info here.
Being a Rare Press Patron brings me so much joy every month
May your week be gentle and may you eat well. 🌲🥣