Mineral broth is always the answer
Welcome to the first installment of our Substack!
Hello Food Friends!
It has been two years since we launched our podcast: Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy, and a LOT has happened. We’ve risen to the top 20 food podcasts in America, thousands of listeners tune in every week for home cooking inspiration, and now, we’re expanding our offerings to include a new home on Substack for original and curated foolproof recipes.
It’s officially soup season, and as we get into the swing of busting out our biggest soup pots, we’re also filling up our freezers with nutrient-dense, healing broths and stocks.
This week we’re sharing our favorite recipe for mineral broth. Kari’s known for dropping off mason jars of this healing elixir whenever her friends need an immune boost or some extra comfort, inspiring Sonya to make and do the same. That’s what food friendship is for — to help each other discover new ideas, while finding a way to share our dishes with our loved ones and larger community. Full recipe is below.
Are you making broth from scratch? What’s your go-to recipe?
RECIPE - MINERAL BROTH
This nutritionally dense and flavorful broth is adapted from the recipe found in Rebecca Katz’s The Cancer Fighting Kitchen. While warming and delicious on its own, mineral broth serves as a delicious base for almost any soup recipe that calls for stock. For this broth, don’t peel your vegetables as they contain nutrients and benefits. Instead, you’ll want to make sure you thoroughly wash and scrub your organic veggies before adding them to the pot!
Mineral broth
Ingredients:
10 carrots, any color
2 onions, any color
2 large leeks
1 head of celery
4 large potatoes, any color/variety
3 sweet potatoes, any color/variety
1 head of garlic
1 bunch of fresh parsley
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
4 fresh bay leaves, or 2 dried
1 strip of kombu
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
4 allspice or juniper berries
2 teaspoons of sea salt (Himalayan or high-quality mineral salt), or to taste
8 quarts of water, or more if desired
Directions:
Start by prepping your veggies: Scrub the carrots and cut them into thirds, if they come with their tops, leave them intact. Rinse any noticeable dirt from onions and cut into quarters, leaving papery skin intact. Cut leeks into thirds, then cut them again lengthwise, rinsing very well to remove any dirt and grit. Separate the celery stalks from the heart of the celery, and wash them well. Cut the stalks in thirds, then cut the heart in half. Scrub the potatoes and sweet potatoes, leave the peel on, then quarter. Cut the head of garlic in half through the middle (the “equator”). Rinse parsley and cilantro very well, roughly chop in half or thirds (definitely include the stems!).
Into your largest pot, add all of the veggies, bay leaves, kombu, peppercorns, allspice, and salt. Fill the pot with water. Some of the vegetables may peek out of the water to start, but will shrink down as as they soften.
Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Allow the broth to simmer for at least 6 hours. Periodically stir the pot to ensure all of the ingredients are submerged.
Once cooked, strain the broth using a fine mesh strainer, pushing on the solids to encourage them to release the rich liquid. This is best done over the sink to allow the liquids to drain from the solids.
Broth can be used immediately or stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 6 months.
For more recipe inspiration….
