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Veal Broth
Stew a knuckle of veal in about a gallon of water, to which put two ounces of rice, or vermicelli, a little salt, and a blade of mace. When the meat has become thoroughly boiled and the liquor is reduced to about one-half, they may be sent up to table together, or the broth may be served alone.
A single-pot invalid broth of the plainest kind: shank, water, a starch and a whisper of spice. Almost everything depends on how gently it simmers and how far it reduces.
- Keep it at a bare simmerThis is the hinge. A knuckle is full of collagen, and a broth held just below the boil turns clear and lightly gelatinous, while a rolling boil emulsifies the fat and clouds it permanently. Skim the grey foam off in the first fifteen minutes and do not stir.
- A knuckle of vealThat is the shank end, sold now as veal shank or hock (the same cut that is sawn crosswise for osso buco). Ask for it sawn into two or three pieces so the marrow and joint surfaces are exposed. The recipe gives no weight; two to three pounds suits the quantity of water.
- The gallonA British book, so an imperial gallon: about 4.5 litres, or a little over 4.75 US quarts. Reduced by half you finish with roughly 2.25 litres of broth, less whatever the meat and grain absorb.
- Timing the reductionNo time is given because the instruction is a volume, not a clock. Uncovered at a low simmer, expect three to four hours to lose half the liquid and to get the meat falling off the bone.
- Rice or vermicelliTwo ounces is about a third of a cup of rice, or a small nest of the finest broken vermicelli. Both will swell and soften over several hours into near-nothing, thickening the broth; if you want distinguishable grains, add them in the last twenty minutes instead.
- A blade of maceMace is the lacy covering of the nutmeg, and a blade is one whole dried piece, not ground powder. A quarter teaspoon of ground mace is the nearest substitute, though it will tint the broth. Fish the blade out before serving.
- Salt at the end"A little salt" was written for a liquid that has not yet halved. Season lightly at the start and correct once the reduction is finished, or the finished broth will be twice as salty as intended.
- Yield and servingAbout eight cups: four generous bowls, or six servings if the meat is sent up alongside as the recipe allows. Chill overnight and the fat lifts off in a solid sheet, and the broth will set to a jelly, which is a sign you did it right.
Veal broth belongs to the sickroom rather than the dinner table. Nineteenth-century medical and domestic writing treated veal as the mildest of meats and its long-simmered liquor as the standard nourishment for invalids, convalescents and children — light, low in fat once skimmed, and easy to swallow when nothing else would do. The knuckle was chosen for economy and for gelatine: it was among the cheapest cuts, and the jelly it yielded was believed to be strengthening in itself. Mace, rather than pepper, was the common seasoning for such dishes, and it is often said that this was because mace was thought gentle on a weak stomach, an idea that runs through English cookery books from the eighteenth century onward. The offhand direction that meat and broth "may be sent up to table together" is a reminder that even a sickroom preparation was expected to feed the household twice over.