Recipe: Special Holiday Broth (Brodo Misto Speciale, make ahead, Italian)

SPECIAL HOLIDAY BROTH (BRODO MISTO SPECIALE)

"I love this broth - its flavor is complex and rich, although it is more intense than broths used on a regular basis in Italy, or at home when I was a child. Made from beef, poultry, and lots of vegetables, the broth was prepared by my parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents for Christmas, Easter, and other important holidays - hence its name. Each member of the family had his or her own version, but all of them used basically the same ingredients. The broth was started early in the morning and was served later in the day with homemade pasta, stuffed or plain."

1 1/2 pounds beef shank
1 1/2 to 2 pounds beef marrow bones for soup
1 1/2 pounds beef chuck neck bones
1/2 chicken (about 1 1/2 pounds), rinsed and drained
2 turkey thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds), rinsed and drained
3 1/2 quarts water 6 medium onions, quartered
6 medium ribs celery with leaves, cut into 2-inch pieces
6 medium carrots, each cut into 4 pieces
4 fresh, ripe medium tomatoes, chopped, or 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Combine all of the meat and poultry in a large soup pot and add the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered, frequently skimming off the foam, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat to a very slow but steady simmer, and cook, partially covered, until the meat falls off the bones, about 4 hours. Check the level of the water about every hour.

Allow the broth to cool. Remove the large pieces of meat and poultry from the broth (the meat is long-cooked, but still edible) before straining through a fine sieve, lined if desired with several layers of dampened cheesecloth. Discard the contents of the sieve and refrigerate the broth, covered, overnight.

THE NEXT DAY:
Remove and discard the congealed fat on top. Use immediately or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (bringing it to a boil before using) or a freeze for up to 6 months.

FROM THE AUTHOR:
"While all the holiday cooking was going on, my grandfather would string two large sheets across a clothesline to act as theater curtains and we (the children) were asked to create playlets, most of which were parodies of neighbors and relatives. My older brother Jerry would imitate our Uncle Patsy negotiating a " real estation" deal (Uncle Patsy referred to his occupation as real estation). I mimed my father's aunt, Zia Zeppe (short for Zia Maria Giuseppe), who would stand at her open refrigerator door, saying to anyone, no matter how many times he or she had visited, "Guarda c'e tutte cose. " (Look, there is everything here.) She was so proud of her frigid larder; she would reach in and bring forth a curly head of savoy cabbage, thump her fist on it, and remark in Italian about its firmness, crispness, and freshness."

Makes about 3 quarts
Source: Good and Garlicky, Thick and Hearty, Soul-Satisfying, More-Than-Minestrone Italian Soup Cookbook by Joe Famularo