"It's in my bones" broth

Broth is the operative word of the year and we've made many a pot especially during winter. As my heritage dictates that even now, I feel the familiar itch for broth every third day or so, we seem to have something on the hob every other day of the year, let alone the winter season. The Italian has it with pasta, "pasta in brodo", and I have it as is or with some green bean noodles. Broth is extremely versatile and can be made in any style, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese etc. but my absolute favourite is bone broth which may make me seem a little weird when I'm squirreling away bones and carcasses, especially after a roast chicken, where I also skim off any fat from the bottom of the roasting tray and save the gelatinous brown "chicken essence" as stock, fat discarded.

This pot is made from lamb bones, chicken and mallard carcasses, what with all the cooking we've been doing with Larousse. Fear not though if you do not have lamb etc. bones, any bones would do and do add chicken wings. It is hearty and you would need to skim off any excess fat and unsightly things from the surface but it is oh so good...! As you can see below, I kept some of the fat so there is no wonder why my cholesterol is high...

Recipe:
Put 2 red onions chopped into large wedges under a hot grill (or on a griddle pan) to caramelise for 10 minutes. In the mean time, put bones and chicken wings (preferably at least 6) into a stock pot, and cover with cold filtered water. Water level should just cover the bones if you are using chicken bones or if using red meat bones, by about 5cm. On medium to low heat, bring the water to a boil. It is important to bring the broth to a boil slowly to "acclimatise" the bones for maximum release of goodness and minimum release of scum; and if there are any, do skim it off at this stage. Scum that is. Add in the caramelised onions, a bulb of garlic cut horizontally into half, couple of large carrots cut into quarters and 4 (or more if it is a big pot) tomatoes cut into quarters. Add in 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns for every 3 liters of water. Cover, bring to a boil on medium to low heat and turn down to a simmer for at least 4 hours. For the time rich, do make a big pot and let simmer for 12 hours. When simmer time is up, lift the lid and all the fat released should be pooled together at the top (this happens when the broth is at a boil, and is the easiest way to remove fat), and skim off with a ladle in one smooth move. Strain the broth then back on the hob, add salt and dash of black pepper (I sometimes prefer white) to taste and serve piping hot. Leftovers should be brought back to boil then cooled and stored in the fridge (in a pot or bowl) for 3 days or can be frozen (in glass container) for future use.

Note:
1) for a Vietnamese twist, add half a palm sized piece of ginger and same amount of shallots, both treated the same way as the onions, and add 1 star anise per liter of broth.
2) For normal broth, use meat instead of bones in the same way and add zucchini, potatoes and other vegetables if you so choose for a hearty meal. Skip the straining process if there are no small pieces of bones.