Red Wine Broth
Other veggies and herbs may be substituted. Try parsnips, fennel, ginger, basil, or tarragon.
YIELDS 4 cups
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion
- 1 small turnip
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 pound raw meat (beef or pork is best)
- 1 bouquet garni (see “Bag o' Spices”)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 cups other meat broth or cold water
- 3 cups dry red wine
Chop the carrot, onion, turnip, and garlic. Trim the fat from the meat and cut the meat it into ½-inch cubes. Prepare the bouquet garni using your choice of fresh herbs. (A traditional bouquet garni with a few black peppercorns added complements this recipe well.)
In a soup pot, melt the butter. Add the meat and the vegetables and cook on low heat for 20 minutes until they are all completely browned.
Add the ½ cup of broth or water and ½ cup of the red wine. Boil the mixture until the soup pot is almost completely dry and virtually all liquids have evaporated.
Add the rest of the red wine, broth, and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours. Skim off the impurities with a spoon several times during this period. (Feel free to add cold water at this point to adjust the strength of the broth.)
Strain and discard all solids. If the stock is not going to be used immediately, cool it to room temperature by immersing the pot in a bath of cold water before refrigerating.
Water Temperature
To maintain the clarity of your broth, always use cold water; adding hot water to broth will produce a less desirable, cloudy final product.
