FLOWER POT KITCHEN: PALEO CHICKEN BROTH

1 Aug 2014

PALEO CHICKEN BROTH

IMMUNE BOOSTING BODY LOVING BOWL OF ABUNDANCE

So soul norishing, this is food that loves you back, I always feel so positive while and after eating this as my geeky food science side knows how much this bowl of goodness is nourshing, healing and loving my body, this bowl of sunshine is loaded with the marriage of minerals and vitamins that need each other to work together for effective absorption of nutrients.

My geeky science bit...

THIS MEAL GIVES THIS TO YOUR BODY

Chicken bone stock is so good for you, the broth water has calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur, trace minerals, chodroitin sulphates and glucosamine, these latter two ingredients are expensive to buy as supplements, but they are found naturally in bone broths. You need magnesium so your body and convert vitamin D into it's active form so that it can be used to absorb calcium. We only need around 400mg of calcium a day, but the RDA says 1200mg, the reason for this is that we do not absorb all the calcium we eat, but if you have a balanced diet the extra calcium you absorb can lead to kidney stones and calcium in the blood stream and heart disease, chicken stock is anti viral, anti bacterial and scientifically proven to be 25% as effective as penicillin.

Asparagus vitamin B6, C, E, K, calcium, magnesium, zinc, beta carotene, iron, fibre, stimulates your kidneys, phosphorous, potassium, copper, thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid, selenium, chromium, enhances ability of insulin to transport to glucose from your blood cells to amino acids.

Garlic allicin and selenium, cleans the liver, King of healing foods, fights food poisoning, stomach bugs bacteria, anti bacterial, anti viral and anti fungal, reduces risks of clots and cholesterol blood pressure and improves circulation.

Chilli eaten in large quantities is high in vitamin C, carotene, vitamin B, B6, potassium, magnesium and iron.

Onion vitamin C, B6, folic acid, phenolic so flavonoids, anti inflammatory, lowers cholesterol and is an anti oxidant.

Watercress purifies blood, gives you iodine when eaten raw, vitamin A, anti bacterial mustard oils, betacarotenes, iron, phenethy, isothiocganate, vitamin C, E.

Celery has coumarins, potassium and vitamin C.

Carrots juiced are a detox cleaner for healthy liver and kidney functions, anti bacterial and anti viral, protect capillaries, chest, skin and eyes, vitamin C, E, A and B2.

INGREDIENTS

(Makes one serving)

300ml - 500ml chicken stock

(recipe for stock below)

Large handful organic watercress chopped

6 stems of asparagus chopped

1 spring onion sliced

1 red chilli chopped

2oz chicken

CHICKEN BONE STOCK

1 organic free rooting chicken

2ltr water

1 onion quartered

2 carrots scrubbed

3 sticks celery

4 cloves garlic crushed

10 black peppercorns

Pinch sea salt

I make this chicken stock every week and keep in my fridge so I have quick easy and sumptuous food to hand, this also means I can have a meal ready in under five minutes from the fridge if I so want.

Place all the stock ingredients in a deep pan and gently simmer for an hour or so, take off the heat when you can pull on a bone and it gently pulls away from the chicken. Leave the chicken to cool in the broth, this will allow some of the stock to soak back into the chicken ensuring you have the wettest, juiciest chicken meat. Once cooled remove the chicken and this is personal I keep the legs whole for other meals and then pick all the meat off, this I use a little in my broths and for other meals during the week. I place the stock in a glass jug in the fridge, when you go to use the stock for the first time the fat will have salidfied, this I remove and give to my dogs, now your stock is ready to become so many meals, chicken broth, tom yum soup, thai laksa, pho, ramen, coconut chicken soup amoung many suggestions.

To make you chicken broth heat 500ml in a pan when gently simmering add the chicken and asparagus, this will only take 2-3 minutes to cook, meanwhile in your bowl put the chopped watercress, chilli and spring onion, pour over the hot chicken stock and enjoy.

This is also great and super speedy as a cup of soup and easily transported as food on the go.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.