Mar 1

Mar 1 Pig's Feet Broth

Boil pigs feet first to remove impurities

Pigs feet are called trotters, did you know that? I did not. I got these from an NC farm about an hour and a half away from me. This farm is run by a couple who have a beautiful operation and land - free running hogs and pigs who root and forage happily (and, as we saw, chased the family dog when it got too close to the babies).

Pigs feet and other bones make for nutritious, gelatinous, rich, flavorful stock. I am an old hand at making real chicken broth and (beef) bone broth in a crockpot, but pigs feet were a first.

I covered the trotters and neck bones (for added flavor) with water and brought to a boil for a couple of minutes to extract any dirt and impurities. Strain. Fill pot again with filtered water. Add a dash of vinegar to aid in pulling out minerals. Bring to a boil. Put in your cut up vegetables like carrots, celery and onion. Then let simmer for many hours. If you want (and this is what I did), you can transfer it to a crockpot and put the lid on.

I let this simmer overnight. Then I strained everything out and what was left was a greasy, fatty broth. I put it in the fridge, and hours later when it firmed and I scooped out the fat that had risen to the top, I had the rich, nutritious, flavorful gelatin that is so health-promoting. I added salt, and am happy to report that it tasted rich and nourishing.

Read what Nourishing Traditions author Sally Fallon wrote about the beauty of broth:

"Good broth will resurrect the dead," says a South American proverb. Said Escoffier: "Indeed, stock is everything in cooking. Without it, nothing can be done."

My bible of cookbooks, Nourishing Traditions has plentiful recipes for powerfully healthful meals. I make the chicken broth especially all the time.

A cure-all in traditional households and the magic ingredient in classic gourmet cuisine, stock or broth made from bones of chicken, fish and beef builds strong bones, assuages sore throats, nurtures the sick, puts vigor in the step and sparkle in love life--so say grandmothers, midwives and healers. For chefs, stock is the magic elixir for making soul-warming soups and matchless sauces.