This blog was originally published on www.boroughmarket.org.uk.

All good food starts with the ingredients. In this blog series I’m setting out to illustrate this by finding the best seasonal produce led by Borough Market’s traders.

January is the month we are all supposed to become healthy – take up jogging, giving up sugar and alcohol. But being healthy doesn’t have to mean eating a meagre diet of raw vegetables and seaweed (although these are two of my favourite things), it means eating a diverse and balanced diet. Infact shocking your body with extreme eating habits can have adverse effects when you return to your normal mode of eating. My healthy january will include wine, steak and almond croissants (a personal favourite), I just won’t be drinking or eating anything excessively. My advice is to respect yourself and listen to what your body needs. Most importantly – feel good about the food you put into your body.

Before this months trip to the market I tweeted to my @tomsfeast followers “Off to @boroughmarket to find ingredients for January’s blog. What kind of recipe shall I write – comforting or healthy?” The almost unanimous response was BOTH! And how right everyone was. It was foolish of me to separate the two from each other. The first dish that came to me was bone broth. The health worlds new panacea or answer to all ailments from skin quality, to resetting your whole immune system. Essentially bone broth is stock or clear soup as we’ve always known it, although the emphasis when cooking is put on health rather than flavour. The goodness (collagen and vitamins) from the bones are best extracted through a very long boil, more than four hours for chicken bones and eight to twelve hours for beef. In order to extract a good amount of flavour you don’t need to boil them for quite as long. For my bone broth recipe I wanted to come up with something a little special. Especially as I had all of Borough Market’s fine produce to hand. I arrived at the market early on a tuesday morning and headed straight to Monmouth for a coffee.

Standing on the high street pondering what I might make, I spotted the Jamon in Brindisa. Jamon bones are a stupendously flavourful ingredient. They form the base of a number of Spanish stews, and paellas. Jamon Iberico bellota is a superior ham that is reared in the wild on a diet of acorns. Bellota means acorn in Spanish but also denotes this specific product. There are two other lower grades of Jamon called cebo (reared in captivity and fed cereal) and recebo (reared in captivity part of their life but given access to acorn pastures). I would recommend the Jamon that is Bellota to assure that it’s had the best life. It costs a lot but the quality is exceptional. Reared on a diet of acorns the Iberico pig fat contains monounsaturated fatty acids which are actually good for your health.

Coffee in hand I raced across the road to buy bones and get advice on Spanish broths. Jerome was at the Jamon stand and advised me to grill the bones for extra flavour (good advice if you want to make a dark stock). He also said they would be nice boiled up with chicken carcasses. “Ginger pig next stop!” I thought.

Next door in Ginger pig I bought four chicken carcasses, the butcher explained to me that they were free-range and reared in Leicestershire by Richard and Gerald Botterill on Lings View Farm. “The Cornish Game is quite slow growing.” He said “Reared for 100 days, unlike most commercial free-range birds that are slaughtered at 60. They’re fed home grown cereals plus the grass and herbs from their outdoor surroundings. They’re hung for a week guts in which gives them a slight hint of gaminess. You’ll get a truly brilliant stock from the carcass”. “Perfect”! I said

Every good broth needs a base of fresh, seasonal vegetables to lift and balance the flavours. I strolled to Elsey and Bent, a greengrocers situated in the corner of Three Crown Square, opposite the Borough Market information centre. Owner Gary Voight started work in the market 35 years ago on his Dad’s veg stall and he’s still there today! Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall taught me the essentials of making a good stock, he says that every stock must contain the holy trinity of stock vegetables – onion, celery and carrot. I like to use (what I suppose we could call) the famous five – and include leek and mushrooms to add a savoury complexity from the mushroom and further sweetness from the leek.

To finish my shopping I nipped across the square and down the walkway to Spice Mountain. I wanted to add some new flavours to the broth so I asked the shopkeeper Eleanora for some advice. She offered me some nigella seeds and ajwain lovage seeds (which has a strong savouriness and thyme like flavour). Eleanora stated that Nigella seeds are good for you so I did some research on my return. Ingrid Naiman who studies Eastern medicine says nigella seeds are the most revered medicinal seeds in history. The seeds aid digestion, are antimicrobial and restore normalcy and balance.

I also bought some Himalayan pink sea salt which is thought to hold many health benefits too. Himalayan Salt comes from salt mines in Pakistan that were covered with lava two million years ago. As a result it contains the same 84 trace minerals and elements that are found in the human body. Happy I had all I need to make a healthy and comforting start to the year I headed home to make broth.

Jamon and chicken bone broth

Easy to make, cheap and delicious, bone broth is a comforting and healthy pick me up, full of easily absorbable nutrients. When bones are cooked for a long time the collagen is dissolved in the water and turns into gelatin which creates a desirable viscosity in the broth that is filling, unctuous and savoury. Collagen is also known to be very good for the health. It is believed that collagen improves skin and hair quality, relieves joint pain and helps keep a healthy gut. Drink the broth alone as a warming beverage or use as a base for making stews, soups and rice dishes.

Ingredients

1 jamon bone or 800g beef bone

4 chicken carcasses

The rest of the ingredients are all optional, pick and choose as you please, although there’s no harm in them all being in there!

1 small onions, peeled and roughly chopped

1 large carrot, roughly chopped

2 stalks celery, roughly chopped

1 small leek, roughly chopped

3 chestnut mushrooms

1 head of garlic, cut in half across the middle

10 parsley stalks

2 fresh or dried bay leaves

1 tsp black pepper corns

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp nigella seeds

1/2 tsp ajwain lovage seeds

Sea salt to taste

Method

1) Rinse the bones in cold water, removing any blood, then compact into a saucepan. Add the other chosen ingredients. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil and immediately reduce to a gentle, trembling simmer.

Bone broth expert Marco Canora says to place the stock pan half off of the heat element in order to help the liquid circulate inside the pan.

2) Gently simmer for four hours, skimming off any impurities that form on the top. If the water level drops, top up with cold water. This will also help to extract more impurities.

3) When the broth is cooked, remove the bones and vegetables with a large spoon. If there is any meat left on the bones pick it off and save, place the remains in the compost. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve. Season with salt to taste and drink hot.

The stock will keep for up to five days in the fridge.

Organic Carrots

PREP TIME

COOK TIME

SERVES

Ingredients

Directions

Share

Twitter
Facebook
Email

Share

Twitter
Facebook
Email
Print

Discover more recipes

Chickpea & Chorizo Brunch Recipe

Chickpea & Chorizo Brunch Recipe

This chickpea and chorizo brunch is prepared in much the same way as a traditional hash, but is even simpler to make without having to dice and boil potatoes.
Regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture is an ideology and farming practice based on many years of scientific research and agroecological farming practices such as organic, biodynamic and permaculture.…
Waste Not Chocolate

Waste Not… Chocolate

Over the last ten years all my work in food, writing, cooking and teaching has had a clear environmental focus. This passion for climate-friendly cuisine…
Biodiversity

Biodiversity

“Biodiversity” The variety of life (from a single-celled organism or plant to a mammal) within a defined location or system, from the whole world to…
Food Sustainability

Food Sustainability

“Food Sustainability” A holistic approach to food that considers how our nutrition impacts the world around us from an environmental, social and economic perspective which aims…
Waste Not- Lettuce

Waste Not… Lettuce

Salad is a bit like Marmite: you either love it or you hate it. I’m a lover of both, and they even taste good together…
Waste Not Celery

Waste Not… Celery

A bushy head of celery with its leaves intact is quite spectacular and almost twice the size of a regular, chopped bunch from a supermarket.…
Lemons

Waste Not… Lemons

Lemon rinds add flavour to roasts, make a versatile salty preserve and give summer salads a sharp boost. Good lemons are knobbly, juice-filled and can…
Waste Not Cauliflowe

Waste Not… Cauliflower

he once-neglected cauliflower has been lifted to new heights in recent years, and now features regularly on restaurant menus, where it’s treated like a delicacy:…
Waste Not Potato Peelings

Waste Not… Potato Peelings

It’s not surprising that the many people are up in arms about how much food we waste, and potatoes are part of the problem: about…

Autumn / Apricot Frangipane

After incubating the ground over the summer months the sun grows soft and the wind drops a degree in temperature – signalling agriculturalists to prepare…
Chocolate pot with Candied Beetroot

Chocolate pot with Candied Beetroot

CANDIED Beetroot Eat as sweets, decorate cakes or make my super rich chocolate pot. 150g unrefined sugar, 100ml water, 1 medium beetroot (about 200g) Wash…
Chocolate salted rye cookies

Chocolate salted rye cookies

This recipe is adapted from Chad Robertson’s Tartine book 3. These are the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. Say no more. Ingredients – makes 20 cookies…
Cavolo nero and walnut dip

Cavolo nero and walnut dip

First published in the Guardian – Photographs by Elena heatherwick This is a variation on a pesto recipe that I learnt from a close friend…
Spider Crab Paella

Fish on Friday, Spider Crab Paella

My poly-tunnel and veg patch are now bulging with glorious summer vegetables: bell peppers, aubergines, broad beans, new season beetroot, onions, and garlic. The courgettes…
Watercress-pasta-pesto

Veg Box – Watercress

This post was previously published on www.goodbyesupermarkets.co.uk A wonderful springtime green is Watercress. A powerhouse of vitamins and minerals that should perhaps have been Popeye’s…
Wild Food

Wild Food, foraging in May

This month Absolutely Wild’s Peter Studzinski drops by to give us some great tips about foraging in May. For foraging, May is a transitional month between…
Wild Garlic

Veg Box – Wild Garlic

‘You may occasionally find wild garlic for sale in local farmer’s markets, but they grow abundantly, so why not go out in search of your…
Prawn-ceviche

May – Fish on Friday, Ceviche

I’m writing for a new website called www.fishonfriday.org.uk It’s brilliantly informative about all things fish, with recipes, techniques, and buckets of information about sustainability. This…
Veg Box – Spring onions

Veg Box – Spring onions

Said in the most positive possible way Spring is almost here! Time for salads and fresh foods to awaken us from our Winter slumber. Spring…
Smoke and forage

Smoke and forage

If you enjoy the alchemy and adventure of smoking and foraging for food but have never had the courage to do it, then this is…
Pomegranate Chocolate Brownies

Pomegranate Chocolate Brownies

What food could be more erotic than a super rich chocolate brownie with jewels of pink and a sticky pomegranate molasses. This, for me, is…
Christmas Leftovers – Brussel Colcannon

Christmas Leftovers – Brussel Colcannon

Brussel sprouts aren’t everyone’s favourite vegetable. Maybe thats why they’re neglected, lack the love they deserve and are always overcooked. So it’s no surprise that…
Seasonal Roasties with Chimichurri

Seasonal Roasties with Chimichurri

I’m always surprised by the seasonal variety of veg available in December and January. Theres only a few months where we’re limited to roots and…
Christmas Persimmon Salad

A Fresh Christmas Persimmon Salad

Persimmon, sharon fruit, kaki or even ‘fruit of the gods’ is a unique and delicious fruit that either tastes like a fresh, sweet, fruity date…
Quince Frangipane

Quince Frangipane

Quince is a kind of yellow pear that has a complex flavour. It works well in savoury dishes, most commonly used to make membrillo or…
Celeriac Gratin

Celeriac Gratin with Anchovies

Celeriac gratin was one of my favourite dishes at River Cottage. Hugh’s addition of anchovies is genius. So I guess this recipe is a homage…
3 Pinchos – Canapes

3 Pinchos – Canapes

Pincho literally means ‘spike.’ Normally skewered with a toothpick, it is eaten as tapas in northern Spain. I like my pinchos to be an intense…
Gurnard Parcel with Fennel

Gurnard Parcel with Fennel

Gurnard is a delicious, firm fleshed fish that roasts well and is even good raw as a ceviche. In this recipe we wrap the fish…
Deviled Kidneys

Deviled Kidneys

I love deviled kidneys, there’s no two ways about it. They’re so rich and unctuous, eating this dish makes me feel spoilt, and for very…
Cleo the Friendship Bread

Cleo the Friendship Bread

We at Forgotten Feast have sent our sourdough starter Cleo into the wide world. We were Inspired by Herman the German Cake and also our…
Beetroot Chocolate Cake

Beetroot Chocolate Cake

Beetroot’s earthy sweetness goes incredibly well with bittersweet chocolate. The beetroot lends a complex and wholesome flavour to the cake that helps relieve the guilt…
Cure pork fat at home

Cure pork fat at home

Cured pork fat This recipe takes the ‘No Waste’ ethos to the next level. Lots of people avoid fat for health reasons, but there’s no…
The Life of a Loaf

The Life of a Loaf

7 Ways To Use A Loaf Throughout Its Life Bread is a product that we expect to buy uber fresh. It’s almost seen as our…
Fruits

Devilled kidneys on toast

This was one of my favourite dishes while I was working at River Cottage, me and Ray Smith the house butcher used to fight over…
Mis-fit veg with babaganush

Mis-fit veg with babaganush

Through mass production, a lot of perfectly good veg is wasted. One of the most ludicrous reasons is that a vegetable is superficially ‘ugly’ or…
Brain Food

Brain Food

Surely its the ultimate insult to throw a brain in the bin, it is however a lot of work to remove from the head which…

For more of Tom’s recipes... Check out his new book

Eating
for
Pleasure,
People &
Planet

By TOM HUNT

Tom's manifesto, 'Root to Fruit' demonstrates how we can all become part of the solution, supporting a delicious, biodiverse and regenerative food system, giving us the skills and knowledge to shop, eat and cook sustainably, whilst eating healthier, better-tasting food for no extra cost.

Share

Twitter
Facebook
Email