Crave

I suddenly crave for some hot beef bone soup. By hot, I mean spicy hot and high-temperature hot. Maybe it's the weather. I remembered looking outside the window of my bedroom. The rain was falling. I cancelled the plan to go for a movie with Xell. His place is raining too, and he needed to get some tasks done. He agreed to meet "later, someday" as we both are going back to college in a few days time.

That was somewhere before afternoon. I fell asleep, then woke up in the afternoon. Still raining. I felt like getting back to sleep before realising that I had already overslept.

I went down and switched on the monitor of the PC. The PC had been on since a few days ago. I left it on to download large files. I checked the downloading progress and went upstairs for a shower.

Late lunch, and nobody was home. I ate my meal in front of the PC. Multitasking is normal for me. Maybe I need to learn to sit down and eat my meal properly at the dinner table.

I was actually craving for some soup. Clear broth soup. Chicken, beef, veggie. I prefer beef over chicken. I remembered eating the soup with some bread or rice. White bread slices are torn into smaller pieces, dipped in the soup. Yum...

Here's a recipe I found on the Internet. But I'm not sure when will I cook such thing. I don't cook.

Cooking + Me = Mismatched couple.

Haha... Anyway, here it is.
(This is not a traditional recipe, I think this is from some Mediterranean one. The broth can be eaten as it is, or be used as base for some other recipes, usually in Western recipes.)



Beef Broth

4 pounds cracked beef marrow, shin, and/or shank bones, with meat on them

1 large onion, cut into eighths

4 ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half (optional)

1 carrot, cut up

2 celery stalks, cut up

1 leek, split lengthwise, washed well, cut up

10 black peppercorns

Bouquet garni, tied together in cheesecloth, consisting of 3 sprigs fresh parsley, 1 sprig fresh thyme, 2 fresh sage leaves, and 1 bay leaf

4 quarts water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Put all the ingredients, except the salt and pepper, in a stock pot, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Skim the surface of foam until no more appears. Partially cover and simmer on a very low heat for no less than 6 hours.
2. Pour the broth through a cone-shaped strainer and discard all the bones, meat, vegetables, and bouquet garni. Now pour the broth through the strainer lined with cheesecloth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. To de-fat the broth, let it rest in a refrigerator until the fat congeals on the top and can be lifted off. The broth can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Variation: To turn this broth into a fond brun de veau, replace the beef with veal and start by browning the meat in hot clarified butter in a large skillet until they are golden brown, turning with tongs. Remove to the stock pot. Add the onion and 2 peeled carrots cut into rounds to the skillet; when the onions have yellowed, remove to the stock pot and continue with the recipe. Alternatively, place the meat bones in a roasting pan and roast at 425 degrees F until well browned before using.

Makes 2 to 3 quarts