My Lagostina pressure cooker, as sleek and shiny as the robot in the film Metropolis, begins to hiss on the stove.
Giuliana hoists herself up from the table with her cane and hobbles out of my house as fast as her legs can carry her. The sound reminds her of the bombs during the War.
Brodo di Pollo
Today, I am cooking a simple “brodo di pollo”, and will bring a little over to my traumatized friend later if she will open her door. A lot of people have problems with the pressure cooker, but I really like my groovy gadget for cooking both broth and beans. It cuts the cooking time down in half, and I don’t have to worry about skimming and keeping everything at a gentle simmer for hours on end.
It would be absurd if I were to write up another classic recipe for the home cook’s chicken broth. We all know how to do that. However, I do want to share a tip that is useful, no matter how you make it.
Most recipes instruct us to throw all of the vegetables in at the beginning with the meat, which turns them into shadows of their former selves. The next time you make a broth, add your vegetables during the last half-hour of simmering. Each and every note will remain fresh and distinctive, and you will wonder why you hadn’t thought of this before. Don’t worry, I hadn’t either. I found this tip in Food 52’s Genius Recipe book, who adapted it from the chef Tom Colicchio.
The Italian “brodo” is lighter and more versatile than what we in America or Northern Europe call a stock. Good meat, bones and vegetables are simmered together for a few hours and “basta”. There is no browning involved, nor do they use a lot of herbs. Their brodo acts like the polite stag at the party who asks everyone to dance but never cuts in on anyone. He, she, or they, secure in themselves, brings out the best in their partners and never compete. Here is how I have been making brodo lately, as I believe this method saves time without sacrificing taste.
Notes:
I am able to buy stewing hens in Zurich and in Levanto, and know that I am spoiled. However, I often just throw a few skinned chicken legs from the supermarket into the pot in order to avoid the greasy mess. Just use whatever you have. You can of course add bay leaves, peppercorns, etc., depending on what you will be using it for later. This is broth in its most neutral state.
The Recipe
List of Ingredients
Two to 3 pounds of stewing hen, cut into pieces (Feel free to use normal chicken, scraps and bones, etc.)
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, white part only, thoroughly washed and sliced
1 carrot, chopped
1 stick of celery, chopped
A few sprigs of parsley
The Method
Put the chicken pieces in the pressure cooker and barely cover them with water. Add a little fine sea salt. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to bring the broth up to pressure, then cook for around 40 minutes for a stewing hen, and 30 minutes for normal chicken. Take it off the heat and let the pressure drop naturally, if you have time.
Open your pressure cooker and add all of the vegetables. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, uncovered, as if using a normal pan. After 20 minutes, add the sprigs of parley. Cook for another 10 minutes.
Strain the stock through a colander lined with paper towels into a bowl, pressing hard on the solids, and let it cool. Chill the stock and remove the layer of fat that has congealed on the surface.
A perfect recipe for a rainy day. Great the suggestion of adding vegetables after the first 20 minutes!
Thank you, Loredana! Glad you like the idea.