Your skincare in a warm bowl.

Growing up, once a week meant Bollito.

Bollito is an italian soup. Bollito simply means boiled. It sounds humble and it is — but humble is doing a lot of work here. A pot of bones, vegetables and time. The Italians have been making it for centuries and your skin is about to understand why.

This is what my mother made. What my grandmother made. What I make for my children. And the marrow..rich, buttery, melting. Italians have been eating bone marrow long before it was trending

To roast or not to roast?

You'll find plenty of recipes that tell you to roast the bones first. I've tried it. It gives the broth a deeper, darker flavour — almost like a gravy. Some people love it. I want the clean, clear, golden broth so I don't roast. I boil. 

Try both and decide for yourself. But know that the traditional Italian way, skips the oven entirely.

This is your skincare in a bowl.

Beef bones are rich in collagen. When you simmer them low and slow, that collagen breaks down into gelatine — and you'll know it's worked because your broth will set like jelly when it cools. That's exactly what you want.

Gelatine is made up of amino acids that support the structure of your skin. They help maintain elasticity, support the skin barrier and keep things looking and feeling plump. The Italians didn't know the science. They just knew that they never wasted anything, and that sustenance was in the bones.

You can buy collagen or you can make it yourself. This is much tastier.

The recipe

For a 15 litre stock pot you'll need:

2.5kg osso bucco — this gives you a rich broth and plenty of meat to shred back in. If you want a clear broth with no meat, ask your butcher for chuck bones cut up for soup.

Fill the pot with cold water and add the bones. Bring to the boil. As it starts to bubble you'll notice some grey scum rising to the top. Scoop it off with a slotted spoon and discard it. This is important, it's what keeps your broth clean and clear.

Once the scum is gone, add:

4 carrots, peeled and roughly diced

3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

3 potatoes, peeled and diced

Half a head of garlic, peeled 

2 ripe tomatoes, halved

A small handful of flat leaf Italian parsley 

1½ tablespoons of salt 

Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Bring it back to a steady rolling boil, then reduce the heat. Rest a wooden spoon across the top of the pot, pop the lid on at an angle to let some steam escape, and let it simmer for around 3 hours.

After three hours the meat will be fork tender. Scoop it out and flake it on a plate. I personally suck the marrow straight out of the bone, but its equally delicious on warm crusty bread. 

Add the meat back into the broth. Taste it and salt to your liking. Remove the parsley stalks — they've done their job.

Ladle it into deep bowls. Eat it as it is, with a piece of crusty bread on the side, or cook some pasta or rice separately and add it to the bowl. Either way, it's perfection.

This is a meal that gets better the next day. Make a big pot on the weekend and eat it through the week. Your skin, your gut and anyone who happens to be in your kitchen will be grateful.

Winter is coming. Make a big pot. Your skin will thank you.