Makes 1 ½ gallons
Brodo can be served on its own or used as the base for soups like tortellini in brodo, risotto, and other comforting Italian dishes. Unlike heavily seasoned soups, brodo is meant to taste rich, savory, and restorative.
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Ingredients
One 3- to 4-lb chicken
3 lb beef (top blade chuck or shank)
3 medium yellow onions
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
3 fresh or canned plum tomatoes
8 cracked black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley
3 thyme sprigs
Kosher salt, as needed
Directions
- Pull out any pockets of fat from the chicken and rinse well. Trim the beef of any visible fat. Put the chicken and beef in a large pot and add enough cold water to completely cover the meats.
- Put the pot over medium heat, cover, and bring the water to a simmer. As soon as it comes to a simmer, remove the lid and start skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Add the onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and peppercorns.
- Partially cover the pot by setting the lid slightly ajar to leave an opening; that way, the pot won’t be as likely to boil over and you can keep an eye on it more easily. Bring it back to a simmer and cook, periodically skimming the foam that rises to the surface, for about 2 hours. Add the bay leaves, parsley, and thyme to the pot and cook for 30 minutes longer. Remove the meats from the broth, letting any broth inside the chicken drain back into the pot. Reserve the meat to use in other dishes. At this point, the broth should have a rich, deep flavor. If not, remove the herbs, but continue to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes longer. Add salt to taste.
- Strain the broth through a wire-mesh sieve directly into a pot if you are planning to serve the broth right away. If you plan to serve the broth another day, cool and store the broth in the refrigerator or freezer.
