Broths

Intro to Broths

If vegetable broth did not contain the minerals that are needed I would not care too much about them. But since they are one of the few foods that are so easy to prepare and that do contain the minerals to hydrate the cells they are now one of the more important foods to prepare and consume.

How to improve the flavor of broths and still keep the hydrating nature.

Broths that are not seasoned with salt are hard for a lot of clients to take. I usually have them dilute the broth more with water. I also use spices and herbs liberally in my cooking to make things interesting.

For vegetable soup, I would stay away from rosemary or dill as they can overpower the delicate flavors of the vegetables.

Some dried herb combos I have used are a couple of bay leaves, a couple pinches of dried thyme, and a pinch of basil. Also good are a couple of bay leaves, a bit of coriander, some celery seed, and some thyme.

If you have some fresh herbs, stir in right before serving, for example, chopped flat/Italian parsley and maybe some basil and a few thyme leaves.

When boiling, I also make sure onion and garlic are in the broth and soup for flavor.

Whenever you are doing a nice, warming soup, bay leaves are your friend as they provide amazing flavor.

Thyme is always a great addition because it does not tend to compete with the rest of the ingredients.

I only use rosemary in soups or stews when it is going up against some strong flavors because otherwise, everything just tastes like rosemary.

Here is a set of herbs and spices that I use sometimes

• 3 cloves garlic, halved
• cayenne
• thyme (very soup-tasting)
• oregano
• dill (not usually mixed with other herbs)
• fresh parsley
• caraway seeds (great in tomato soups)
• curry powder (great in tomato soups)

HOMEMADE VEGETABLE BROTH

For some, you may just want to make a stock directly from vegetables though it is a bit expensive to do so when you are on the liquid diet and drinking a lot of this.

Even though it's not stock-based, this warming vegetable soup has plenty of flavor thanks to the liberal use of herbs and spices. Plus, because success doesn't rely on exact measurements, this recipe is a great candidate for experimentation -- try adding beans or changing the vegetables to suit your taste.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
3 celery ribs, rinsed and chopped (about 1 cup)
3 carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
3 1/4-inch sliced of ginger, peeled
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
6 cups water
1 large or 2 medium zucchini, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach
1/4 cup pearl barley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional and to taste - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

When you are off the Liver Detox you can add these ingredients as well.

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (including juice)
1 large Yukon gold potato, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons salt

 

“Minimalist” Broth

Makes about 10 Cups of Broth

Minimalist Broth
2-3 Tbs Olive Oil
1-2 Large Onions, chopped
1 lb Celery, Chopped
1 lb Carrots, washed but unpeeled, chopped
3 Whole Cloves Garlic
1 Bay Leaf
10 Whole Black Peppercorns
1 Gallon Water

I also added, because I could
2 Parsnips, chopped
A few Sprigs Rosemary (parsley is more traditional, use a lot!)
1 Head Broccoli (a strange but decent choice)

 

Heat a large stock pot with some olive oil in the bottom.  I chop my way through the vegetable list as I’m cooking–so once the onion is chopped, add it to the pot, then do the celery, the carrots, etc, adding each thing once it’s chopped up a bit.  When you’re out of stuff to add, pour in the water, turn up the heat and cover.  It should only take you about 20 minutes to chop everything and get it in the pot.  From then on out it’s easy street.

Starting Out

Cook for 1 hour, turning the heat down a bit once the whole thing starts boiling. Let it simmer uncovered for another 20-30 minutes to concentrate the flavors.  Strain the veggies out into a large pot:  (Optional: I do not do this) Strain your broth through cheesecloth. You can put it into a pitcher.

Some like to pour some of the broth into ice cube trays for easy storage. Ice cubed size chunks of broth make for easy defrosting and easy recipe additions

The broth will keep about a week in your refrigerator, and two good months in your freezer.

SIP the broth.  It is not satisfying when you use a spoon like a regular soup. Just sip it to get the minerals.

Pistou

I also use pistou in the broth as I am boiling it.

Traditionally, it's basil, garlic and olive oil, pounded in a mortar. But I'll shamelessly use just about any combination of herbs and/or greens to make it -- parsley, mitsuba, sage, arugula, even a little chard -- and I'll do it in the food processor (and add a little mustard for its complex pungency). Sometimes it's creamy like a pistou or a salsa verde, sometimes it's drier, like a gremolata.

However you make it, it's perfect in soup.  The raw garlic is mitigated by the heat of the broth and the herb sauce brightens the whole dish. It swirls into the soup, the flecks of herbs dispersing their way across the bowl of earthy, delicious vegetables. It's genius.

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