Every good soup deserves a hearty base, and we’ve got you covered. In issue one of Cancer Wellness, we interviewed chef and blogger Rebecca Katz about how she crafts recipes for cancer patients. In her books “The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen” and “One Bite at a Time,” Katz works to “move the needle in the right direction” toward making healthy food more accessible.
Katz shared four recipes with our readers, including Magical Mineral Broth, which Katz lovingly describes as her “Rosetta Stone of soup.” Her quirky quip makes sense—this nutrient-dense broth is made using a wide variety of ingredients, from sweet potatoes to kombu. (Kombu is a mineral-rich seaweed which adds umami flavor to stocks and soups.)
In our first cW Recipe video, our graphic designer and creative director Sydney gets into the kitchen to make a big batch of this hearty broth. Read our story on Rebecca Katz here, and stay tuned for more cW recipes soon.
Serves 4
ingredients
- 6 carrots, unpeeled and cut into thirds
- 2 yellow onions, unpeeled and cut into chunks
- 1 leek, white and green parts, cut into thirds
- 1 bunch celery, including heart, cut into thirds
- 4 red potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
- 2 Japanese or regular sweet potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
- 1 garnet yam, unpeeled and quartered
- 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled and halved
- ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 1 (8-inch) strip of kombu*
- 12 black peppercorns
- 4 whole allspice or juniper berries
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 quarts cold, filtered water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
*Kombu can be found in the Asian food section of the grocery store near the nori (seaweed sheets) that are used for sushi. Store dried kombu in a cool, dark area in your pantry.
Directions
- Rinse all of the vegetables well, including the kombu. In a 12-quart or larger stockpot, combine the carrots, onions, leek, celery, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam, garlic, parsley, kombu, peppercorns, allspice berries, and bay leaves. Fill the pot with water to 2 inches below the rim. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Remove the lid, decrease the heat to low, and simmer uncovered for at least 2 hours. As the broth simmers, some of the water will evaporate; add more if the vegetables begin to peek out. Simmer until the full richness of the vegetables can be tasted. Strain the broth through a large, coarse-mesh sieve (remember to use a heat-resistant container underneath), then add salt to taste.
- Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for five to seven days or in the freezer for four months.
Reprinted with permission from “The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery. Copyright © 2009 by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.
