Chef Graziella
Brodetto all'Anconetana
The storied fish stew of Ancona, where up to thirteen varieties of Adriatic fish simmer gently in a broth sharpened with vinegar and gilded with saffron. Every port town claims theirs is authentic.
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Brodo di Carne
Created by
The patient work that makes everything else possible. Three meats, a handful of vegetables, cold water, and four hours of your time. This is where Italian cooking begins.
Soups & Stews
Italian
Make Ahead
Batch Cooking
30 min
Active Time
4 hr cook•4 hr 30 min total
YieldAbout 4 quarts
Without proper broth, nothing else matters. Not your risotto, not your tortellini in brodo, not your braised meats. The foundation determines the quality of everything built upon it. This is not my opinion. It is physics.
Americans reach for boxes and cans. They wonder why their risotto tastes flat, why their soup lacks soul. The answer sits on the stovetop, requiring nothing more than bones, vegetables, cold water, and patience. The ingredients cost almost nothing. The technique requires no special skill. Yet few people bother. This is the great mystery of modern cooking.
Three meats make proper brodo: beef for depth, veal for body, chicken for roundness. Each contributes what the others lack. The vegetables are simple and unseasoned. Onion, carrot, celery. Perhaps a tomato for color. Parsley stems. Bay leaves. The aromatics should whisper, not shout. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in.
Brodo di carne predates written recipes in Italy, appearing in medieval household records as the cornerstone of kitchen economy. Every scrap of meat and bone went into the pot. The broth nourished the family; the boiled meat, called bollito, became the second course. This dual purpose defined Italian frugality for centuries, though modern cooks often make broth for its own sake.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
beef shin or shank
Quantity
2 pounds
bone-in
meaty veal bones
Quantity
1 pound
whole chicken
Quantity
1 (about 3 pounds)
or 2 pounds chicken backs and wings
yellow onions
Quantity
2 medium
halved, unpeeled
carrots
Quantity
3
scrubbed and cut into large pieces
celery stalks with leaves
Quantity
3
cut into large pieces
ripe tomato
Quantity
1 small
halved
flat-leaf Italian parsley
Quantity
6 sprigs
bay leaves
Quantity
2
whole black peppercorns
Quantity
8
cold water
Quantity
6 quarts
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| beef shin or shankbone-in | 2 pounds |
| meaty veal bones | 1 pound |
| whole chickenor 2 pounds chicken backs and wings | 1 (about 3 pounds) |
| yellow onionshalved, unpeeled | 2 medium |
| carrotsscrubbed and cut into large pieces | 3 |
| celery stalks with leavescut into large pieces | 3 |
| ripe tomatohalved | 1 small |
| flat-leaf Italian parsley | 6 sprigs |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| whole black peppercorns | 8 |
| cold water | 6 quarts |
| kosher salt | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Large stockpot (at least 10 quarts)
- •Fine-mesh strainer
- •Cheesecloth
- •Large ladle
- •Slotted spoon for skimming
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the meats
Place the beef shin, veal bones, and whole chicken in a stockpot large enough to hold everything comfortably. The pot must be tall rather than wide. A narrow pot means less surface area and less evaporation. Cover with the cold water. The water must be cold. Starting with cold water draws flavor from the bones gradually. Hot water seals the surface and traps flavor inside.
Ask your butcher to saw the beef bones crosswise. The exposed marrow enriches the broth and contributes body. - 2
Bring to a bare simmer
Set the pot over medium heat. Watch it carefully. As the water heats, gray foam will rise to the surface. This is protein and impurities. Skim it away with a large spoon, dipping the spoon in a bowl of cold water between passes. Continue skimming until no more foam rises. This takes 20 to 30 minutes and requires your attention. A clear broth begins with patient skimming.
- 3
Add the vegetables
Once the liquid reaches a bare simmer and the foam is removed, add the halved onions, carrots, celery, tomato, parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Do not add salt yet. Push the vegetables below the surface of the liquid.
Leave the papery skin on the onions. It contributes a golden color to the finished broth. This is not carelessness. It is technique. - 4
Simmer with patience
Adjust the heat so the liquid barely trembles. A true simmer shows only the occasional lazy bubble breaking the surface. Never let it boil. Boiling agitates the fat and proteins, turning clear broth cloudy. There is no remedy for cloudy broth except starting over. Let it simmer, uncovered, for 3 to 4 hours. Do not stir. Skim any fat that collects on the surface.
If you must leave the kitchen, reduce the heat further. An overly gentle simmer is far better than an overly vigorous one. - 5
Test for doneness
The broth is ready when it is deeply golden, richly aromatic, and tastes of meat rather than water. Dip a spoon and taste. The flavor should be round and full, with no single element dominating. If it tastes thin, simmer longer. If the meats are falling apart and the broth is still pale, your heat was too low. Time cannot be the only measure. Your palate must decide.
- 6
Strain carefully
Remove the pot from heat. Using a slotted spoon, lift out the large pieces of meat and bone. Discard the vegetables. They have given everything. Line a fine-mesh strainer with dampened cheesecloth and set it over a large clean pot or bowl. Ladle the broth through the strainer gently. Do not press on the solids. Pressing releases particles that cloud the broth.
- 7
Season and store
Season the strained broth with salt to taste. The amount depends on how you will use it. Broth for sipping needs more salt than broth destined for risotto, where it will reduce. Let the broth cool uncovered until it stops steaming, then refrigerate. The fat will solidify on the surface. Remove it before using, or leave it as a protective seal if storing longer.
Chef Tips
- •The chicken can be a whole bird or backs and wings from your freezer collection. I keep a bag in the freezer specifically for broth. Nothing is wasted.
- •Cold water is not a suggestion. It is science. Cold water extracts collagen and flavor gradually. Hot water coagulates proteins on the surface of the meat, sealing in what you want to extract.
- •A properly made broth will gel when refrigerated. This indicates sufficient collagen from the bones. If your broth remains liquid when cold, you needed more bones or more time.
- •The boiled beef from the broth can be sliced and served with salsa verde. In Emilia-Romagna, this is bollito misto, and it is a feast.
Advance Preparation
- •Brodo keeps refrigerated for five days, protected by its layer of solidified fat. Do not remove the fat until ready to use.
- •Frozen in airtight containers, brodo keeps for three months. Freeze in measured portions: two-cup containers for risotto, one-cup containers for sauces.
- •The solidified fat, if you have cooked with good meat, can be saved for sautéing vegetables. Nothing is wasted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 240g)
Calories
55 calories
Total Fat
3 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
2 g
Cholesterol
20 mg
Sodium
480 mg
Total Carbohydrates
1 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
9 g
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