Brodo or broth is the backbone of the Italian cuisine, and today I want to share with you an authentic broth recipe made with beef, chicken and veggies. It's pure comfort food, perfect for warming you up on those cold winter days. If you're a broth lover like me, you should also try my classic Italian vegetable brodo recipe. It's lighter, super versatile, and just as delicious.
In Italy, this authentic italian brodo is used to make a variety of recipes: from risotto, to a base for sauces like my tagliatelle al ragu bolognese, my beef ragu or my pancetta white ragu. Moreover it's used in soups, or to enrich gravies or meat roast as my delicious festive stuffed chicken. An inviting chicken loaded with pitted prunes, chestnuts, bacon, and blanched almond. Thanks to the slow extraction of flavours from the ingredients, it adds a deep flavour to anything you cook.
If you looking for more meat dishes, I've got you covered. My calabrese sauce made from pork, beef, and spicy tomato sauce, is divine. You can use the sauce with pasta and enjoy meat as another main dish. Perfect for when you want cook less but eat well. My baked rigatoni with pork sausage is pure comfort food. Also my favourite amatriciana pasta sauce with guanciale or my chicken piccata with creamy lemon sauce never disappoint. If you craving something a little more elaborate, try my stuffed chicken roast, perfect for weekends or holiday dinner.
In many Italian families, beef brodo it's traditional served on winter, or on Christmas Day, paired with cappelletti, tortellini, or passatelli- depending on which region you're from. Also, thanks to all the nourishing protein inside, this brodo recipe is considered a prefect elixir when you've the flu.
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Ingredients for brodo (broth)
- Beef - Use a mix of two beef cuts to make the brodo: beef shank and beef ribs. Ask your butcher to cut the beef ribs into medium pieces. The more exposed surface, the deeper is the flavour.
- Chicken - Use tight or legs. Make sure to buy them with skin and bone, for more flavour.
- Bone- Any beef bone works. Just ask your butcher for a small piece. It'll adds more flavour to the brodo.
- Veggies - Use carrots, celery (with the leaves), and onions. Don't peel them, use them whole.
- Aromatics - Use fresh bay leaves, cloves, and whole black peppercorns.
- Water - Use cold water, to extra more flavour.
Hint: If you find the beef tongue, add it to this brodo recipe. It's delicious to eat it along with the rest of the meats.
Cuts of meats to use
The are no straight rules when choosing the meat to make the brodo. However I love to use a mix of cuts, as they give more intense flavour to my Italian brodo.
And since not every cuts is always available, here are some substitutions:
- Chicken leg- Instead of chicken leg, use capon or chicken tights. Remember to choose pieces that have bones and skin. They make the broth more richer.
- Beef shanks - You can swap it with beef brisket, beef chuck roll or beef chuck roast.
How to make Italian beef brodo
Before we start, there's one important rule to remember: always start with cold water. Cold water helps to intensify the extractions of the flavours from the meats and the veggies. This way we'll have a richer, deeper, authentic italian brodo (broth) recipe.
If you're planning to serve the broth with tortellini or cappelletti, I suggest you an extra step. Which is to skim off the extra fat that will appear on top of the brodo once it cools off. Believe me it will make your beef brodo lighter and beautifully clear.
- Step 1: Wash properly all the veggies. Cut the carrots, celery and onion into quarters. Pierce the onion with the cloves and set it aside.
- Step 2: Cut the beef shank into chunks. Add the meats, the vegetables, along with the bay leaves, and black pepper in a tall pot- follow this order.
- Step 3: Cover all the ingredients with cold water. Cook over high heat for 30 minutes. Remove any scum that appear on top of the water with slotted spoon. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat to medium. From this point the beef brodo needs to simmer - not to boil.
- Step 4: Let it cook for 3 hours, skimming off any scum that appears on the surface of the brodo (broth). It's ready when the meats are super tender.
- Step 5: Once ready strain the broth, through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth. Remove the meats and carrots, and set them aside. Discard the rest.
- Step 6: You can use the broth immediately, but if you're serving as soup with the tortellini, it's better to remove the extra fat. Let it cool down and remove the fat with a slotted spoon.
How to use leftovers from your brodo recipe
What most people don't know is that the leftovers meats and the veggies from this broth recipe are just as much valuable as the brodo. Once are cooked, the meats results super tender, that melts in your months. So, instead of leave them dying in your fridge use them to make deferents dishes.
Here are some tasty way to use the leftovers:
- My favourite - cut the meats and the carrots into chunks. Add a drizzle of olive oil, add boiled potatoes, a sprinkle of salt and served with plenty of Italian salsa verde. Alternatively, serve it with some mayo, or with mostarda di frutta. This is a classic Italian Christmas recipe that we served right after the brodo (broth).
- Panino - Make a delicious sandwich with the leftover. Use a focaccia, filled with a thick layer of mustard, mayo, lettuce, fresh tomatoes slices, a few cappers, chunky meats, and slow cooked caramelised onions.
- Meatballs - You ca use the beef and chicken leftovers to make some delicious fried meatballs.
- Picchiapo' - In my home, we use the leftover to make the Picchiapo'- an old Roman dish. Cook a tomatoes sauce with olive oil, chopped onions, san Marzano, leftover carrots, and the meats cut into chunks. Simple and delicious.
Broth top tip
Don't peel the veggies - The peels adds flavours to the broth! Make sure to wash the veggies properly and scrub the skin if necessary.
Cut the ingredients - By cutting the meats and the veggies you'll help to extract more flavour. The more exposed surface, the deeper is the flavour. Which means even deeper, richer broth!
Start from cold water - It is important that you start your beef brodo (broth) from cold water. This step helps to intensify the extractions of flavours.
Skimming the scum -Remove any scum that appears on top of the broth with a slotted spoon. This way you'll have a clean broth. The scum are basically fats and protein from the ingredients.
Cook for longer- To get the best results is important to cook your Italian brodo for at least 3 hours. This way you'll have a richer broth and a tender beef and chicken.
Leave the salt to the last - I like to add the salt at the very end. The reasons is simple: I use my broth for different recipes. Each one needs a different level of saltiness.
Serving the broth with tortellini - When serving the broth with tortellini, I like to add one extra step to make the broth lighter and beautifully clear. It makes such a difference. Start by letting the broth cool completely in a cold spot in your home- like a balcony or a cooler room- making sure it's covered with a lid. Once is cooled, transfer it to a fridge and leave it overnight. By the next day, a firm layer of fat will have formed on top, and the broth will have taken a light, jelly-like texture. Simply remove the yellowish layer of fat using a slotted spoon and discard it. What you're left with is a clear broth. Before using it, make sure to gently warm the broth, then cook the pasta directly in it for the best flavor.
📖 Recipe
Brodo broth beef recipe - Authentic Italian meat stock
Equipment
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Knight to cut the veggies and the beef
- 1 Tall pot for stock enough big to hold the water and the rest of the ingredients
- 1 Slotted spoon
- 1 Fine sieve
- 1 Cheesecloth
Ingredients
Ingredients to make 1,522 Litre Broth (51.48 US fluid ounces)
- 500 gr Chicken leg with bone 17,64 oz
- 630 gr Beef shanks 22.23 oz
- 500 gr Beef ribs 17,64 oz
- 260 gr around one Beef bone 9.18 oz
- 200 gr Celery 7.055 oz
- 200 gr Carrots 7.055 oz
- 300 gr Onion 10.58 oz
- 4 Cloves
- 4 Whole black peppercorns
- 2 Bay leaves
- 4 lt Water 135.26 US fluid ounces
Instructions
- Wash properly all the veggies. Cut the carrots, celery and onion into quarters. Pierce the onion with the cloves and set it aside.
- Cut the beef shank into chunks. Add the meats, the vegetables, along with the bay leaves, and black pepper in a tall pot- follow this order. This way you'll have a uniform cooked meat.
- Cover all the ingredients with cold water. Cook over high heat for 30 minutes. Remove any scum that appears on top of the water with slotted spoon.
- Once it starts boiling, lower the heat to medium. From this point the beef brodo needs to simmer - not to boil. Let it simmer for 3 hours, skimming off any scum that appears on the surface of the brodo (broth). It's ready when the meats are super tender.
- Once ready strain the broth on a large bowl, through a fine sieve lined with cheeseclothl. Remove the meats and few carrots, and set them aside. Discard the rest.
- Now the broth is ready to be used in multiple was. However I like to do an extra step, which is to remove the extra fat that the broth has. This technique achieve a lighter and beautiful clear broth that is perfect to serve along with tortellini or any fresh pasta.
- Start by letting the broth cool completely in a cold spot in your home- like a balcony or a cooler room- making sure it's covered with a lid. Once cooled, transfer it to a fridge and leave it overnight. By the next day, a firm layer of fat will have formed on top. Simply remove the yellowish layer of fat using a slotted spoon and discard it. Before using it, make sure to warm up the broth, then cook the pasta directly in it for the best flavor.
Notes
Storage
The Broth can be made one day in advance. Make sure to warm it up when used as a base for the recipe you're making. I like to store my brodo, once is cold, in clean glasses storage jar. It stays fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days. Another way to store this Italian beef broth, is to freeze it. This method is my allay in the kitchen, as it allow me to have the broth on hand whenever I need it. I like to portion up the broth into ice cube tray, this way I take the portion I need.The best way to use beef broth (brodo)
Use my authentic italian beef brodo recipe (broth) to make these delicious recipes:
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