[Y]ou know what we’re into these days? You know what the latest food trend is? Not cupcakes. Not red velvet this and that. Not macarons. We’re not even talking about single origin coffee beans or biodynamic wine. We’re talking about broth. Bone, mineral, and vegetable broth. Yes. Broth. It’s delicious.
Homemade broth is never just about broth. It’s a whole kitchen experience. I make my broths over time. The scrappy bones of a roasted chicken are frozen for a week. Carrot stems and onion skins and ends are stored in a container in the refrigerator for a good while. Limp celery is put to good use and potatoes just beginning to sprout are given a home. Have you read The Everlasting Meal? This broth is very much in that spirit.
It’s where the fresh ingredients in our kitchen meet the more tired ingredients… in a pot, for our extreme health.
Bone broths are a tale as told as time, but they’re totally having a moment. It’s rejuvenating with the powers of magnesium, potassium, calcium, and collagen. It’s fantastic start to a hearty and healthful soup and naturally (or oddly), New Yorkers are sipping the magic broth from coffee cups.
I’ve taken to simmering a pot every month and sipping the broth as tea or making soups. The smell alone makes me feel like a soup genius and it’s a tremendous way to bring together the entire kitchen, scraps and all.
This particular recipe is from The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen. This book is a super approachable recourse for healing foods and recipes. I love it!
First things first, find the largest pot in your kitchen. Next, start piling the kitchen in the pot… the entire kitchen.
(Alternately, this recipe also comes together in a slow cooker. Cut the recipe in half and go for it!)
Red potatoes and carrots. Both unpeeled. There is lots of earth and goodness in the skins.
Celery hearts and leaves… the whole deal. Onions and garlic, skins and all. Sweet potatoes, bay leaves, loads of fresh parsley, and a strip of kombu.
Kombu is dried seaweed packed with folate, magnesium, and iodine. It’s a great addition to the broth, but if you can’t get a hold of it… no worries. You might also toss in a few dried shiikate mushroom caps for a deep earthy quality.
I also added a chicken carcass to this simmering broth which adds even more healing calcium and phosphorus to the broth. Thanks chicken bones!
I hope you simmer up some broth! Here’s to our new year and new health!
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Magic Mineral Broth
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 480
- Total Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 unpeeled carrots, cut into thirds
- 2 unpeeled yellow onions, cut into large chunks
- 1 bunch celery, including the hearts, cut into thirds
- 4 unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
- 2 unpeeled sweet potatoes, quartered
- 8 unpeeled garlic cloves, halved
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 1 6-inch strip of kombu
- 12 whole black peppercorns
- 4 whole allspice of juniper berries
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 organic chicken carcass or 2 pounds of chicken bones
- 8 cups cold filtered water, plus more as the broth cooks
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Rinse all of the vegetables well, including the kombu.
- In a large stock pot, probably the largest stock pot you have (12 to 16 quarts), combine the carrots onions, celery, potato, sweet potato, garlic, parsley, kombu, peppercorns, allspice or juniper, bay leaves, vinegar, and chicken carcass.
- Fill the pot with water to cover the vegetables and chicken, leaving about 2 inches of space between the water and the top of the pot.
- Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Remove the lid, decrease the heat to low and summer, uncovered for 2 hours. Stir just occasionally and skim the scum off the top of the of the simmering broth.
- As the broth simmers, some of the liquid will evaporate. Add more water as the vegetables begin to peek out. Simmer until the bones begin to soften and fall apart, at least 4 hours, 8 hours if you can.
- Strain the broth through a large, coarse-mesh sieve, then stir in the salt to taste. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.
- Skim off as much fat as you can from the top of the broth then portion into airtight containers to refrigerate or freeze. This broth will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and will freeze for up to three months.
Notes
- You can also cut this recipe in half and cook it in the slow cooker!
61 Responses
While my Husband was undergoing Chemo and Radiation this was our “go to” not only him but I sipped it too as I needed the extra strength and nutrition in caring for him.
I also shared the original recipe with my Niece who was also battling Cancer. She was told she’d never be able to have children! I’m here to tell everyone that she became pregnant with twins. Sadly they took part of her uterus while battling Cancer. One twin was taken so the other would have room to grow. Eva is now 10 years old and both Mom and my Niece are perfectly fine. She attributes her surviving due to the healing properties of this miraculous broth. Although we did do something a bit differently. We decided to eat the cooked veggies instead of cooking them to much and or puréing them. Delicious. I purchased the KOMBU thru Amazon. As it only requires a small amount, the KOMBU will last you a long time. I had to look this recipe up once more for a dear friend, recently diagnosed.
Going to have to try this… I have been making “soup” with non-MSG canned broth, 1:1 with filtered water, then adding lots of carrots, celery, onions, garlic, asparagus, kale and spinach, basil, parsley, sometimes green beans, sometimes Brussels sprouts and top it off with a generous quantity of frozen peas at the very end… Cook until carrots are tender, add plenty of black pepper and pink salt to taste, maybe a red pepper flake or two or three… Remove from heat. When cooled, put thru blender and store in pint or quart jars in the fridge… everybody who I share it with asks for more. Have to begin making bone broth… sounds so delicious! Thanks for the post!
I am making this broth for my grandson who is doing chemotherapy now. I went to buy kombu but there was a warning on the package that says may cause cancer from the state of calif. I didn’t buy it.
thats great who would have thought to put seaweed in it…. this is a wonderful site.
I’ve made this twice now. Consider me officially converted to the broth movement. Just posted about it, with full credit to you. Thank you so much!
I am so excited you posted about magic mineral broth. I first found Rebecca Katz when my mom was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. We made everything in One Bite At A Time. This is such a great broth recipe. Taxi Cab Tomato Soup is another delicious and simple recipe.
Taxi Cab Tomato Soup sounds… interesting! I’ll look into it!
If I wanted to make this into a vegetarian broth would you recommend any other modifications aside from not putting in the chicken bones?
I am a vegetarian, are there healthful ways of making this broth veggie and equally nutrient packed?
I remember you posted a broth recipe from the same book a couple years (?) ago. It almost feels like reading the same post… Is it?
I totally read ‘cut into turds.’ I’m sorry. :D
what i like to do is simmer it down as much as my patience will allow and depending on amount, add a tablespoon of good quality gelatin. either section into ice cube trays to freeze. depending on how small the cubes are, add water 1:2 ratio to dilute. make for great sipping in lieu of tea. if i’m really good, i’ll other kinds of bones in there: beef, chicken feet and so the collagen content is high. the aspic is fantastic.
It’s kinda similar to the one I do every saturday. I think it’s important to always have broth at home!
https://justsem.wordpress.com/
There’s nothing like a homemade broth filled to the brim with nutrients, especially right now when pretty much everyone has a ridiculous cold. You may have inspired me to make some of this for a few under the weather friends. :)
What a great way to use leftover kitchen scraps! I hate waste; and this is a great way to use everything up and it’s healthy too! Thank you!
This blog post was very timely for me! (And I’m sure that was your intent, to make it all about me.) I had the remains of a large, lovely prime rib roast from NYE, including 4 meat-packed rib bones. I had decided that I would throw the bones into a pot and try making some stock for soup. Thanks to your post, besides the carrots, onion and celery, I added that bunch of parsley sitting in the vegetable bin and garlic. Today the stock becomes soup! Thanks for the idea and inspiration.
The sweet potato addition! Genius, I tell you
I have never made my own broth. I need to give this a try!
Joy I just love your recipes – it is so cold and dreary up in the North of England now, a broth is exactly the cure for these chilly days.
Who wants a salad in January….
Lots of love,
Isabella
x
http://www.isabellamozzarella.co.uk
It’s always funny what’s old is new again…or at least for folks that are new to old things…like making broth (stock) from scrappy, leftover stuff. It’s as old as dirt…well not really dirt but was the backbone of pretty much everything in the elder kitchen. Then along came pre-packaged, canned, frozen, processed, crappy food and making stock or broth as it’s called now was pretty much forgotten. So glad it’s been re-discovered because it’s a very good thing! Always has been! :)
Detox? Not sure what the H that is but anything healthy, fresh and made by real people in a real kitchen is just good for you! :)
Soup broth all day every day. My new favorite hobby is making homemade broth. It makes my entire apartment smell amazing and warm. It doesn’t hurt that having it simmering on the stove actually does warm up my apartment a bit.
Mmmmmm, can’t wait to try this. I’ve been hearing great things about broths.
Really, love your recipes!
That’s so funny that you posted this! I’ve been trying to master the perfect Ramen broth! I agree that it’s all about the broth!
Where do you find kombu? Whole foods?
yes! i found my kombu at whole foods!
Yum- I need to get into making my own broths- haven’t done it for a long time. Rather than using shiitake caps, I reserve the stems for broths and stews- they have sooooo much flavor! They’re just really tough which is why they work well for things that cook a long time and involve lots of liquid.
Thanks for sharing!
This looks so beautiful! I haven’t really gotten around to making broth yet, but I really need to! So many good nutrients and flavors. Beautiful photos!
I have this cookbook and it carried me through chemo. Thank you for the reminder of how good the recipe is. In copying or transposing, I think you meant to say “bring to a boil” and then “let simmer”. Dreams of summer are not bad when making soup!
Mmm this is something I’ve been wanting to give a go for a while! Winter just makes me want to eat all the soup and all the broth.
xx Kathryn
https://www.throughthethicket.ca
I didn’t realize that An Everlasting Meal was so popular!
I read it right when it came out, as Tamar is the daughter of one of my mother’s friends, and it totally changed some of the most basic ways I cook. I never salted water or gave broth or poached eggs much of a thought before reading it, but have salted, made broth, and poached my own eggs ever since.
-E
Why do you need to cut the recipe in half for a crock pot? What size crock pot?
On a day with sub-zero wind chills, this recipe is perfect! Having organic potatoes, carrots, celery and onions on hand will allow me to make it as healthy as possible. BTW, I just got your new book and can’t wait to start trying out the recipes! Congratulations and happy New Year!
I love this! I need to start making my own delicious broths. I’m so sick of buying stocks in the cartons at the store! What do you store your broth in? Jars? Plastic?
I make bone broth a couple of times a week – it’s so delicious, versatile, and health! Love that you added seaweed to yours! Happy New Year Joy!
Thanks for reminding us about how good homemade bone stock can be! I always have a few containers of brown chicken stock on hand to make soup, rice or any other grains even more delicious!
https://www.saltandserenity.com/2013/03/roasted-chicken-soup-and-perfect-matzoh-balls/
Happy New Year!!
I’m a vegetarian so all my broths are vegetable based, but my boyfriend loves making bone broth. He looks forward to dinners with roast chicken or Thanksgiving and Christmas so he’ll have a turkey carcass to put in broth the next day! Broths are so nourishing, it’s hard not to love them!
Looks amazing!! I really want to try making my own bone broth this year!
Broth has totally been on my mind lately – thanks for this recipe! I was JUST reading about drinking green vegetable broth with a squeeze of lemon in the cookbook, “Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts”… and I have always been intrigued by the reset diet of consuming leek broth only for a few days from “French Women Don’t Get Fat”! I need to jump onboard the broth train!
I love the addition of komba and juniper berries…I can’t wait to try this!
Love the addition of kombu. We Japanese make stock with kombu, dried fish, and/or bonito flakes. The stock is a base for many recipes that require braising, meat and vegetables. Delicious!
It looks amazzzingggggg! Need to try this recipe.
Happy new year!
http://www.trangscorner.com
I’m so excited to try this recipe. So inspirational!
Happy new year!
http://www.trangscorner.com
If you have access to a ethnic market (Hispanic or Asian in my area), chicken feet add not just taste but a collagen that absolutely turns your chilled broth into jello. Amazingly rich and flavorful and even healthier.
https://cookingmania.yuku.com
Oh nice! I needed a new recipe for broth. Happy New Year!
I just made Ina Garten’s engagement chicken, and then used the carcass for bone broth. I’ve been using it, instead of water, in my instant ramen, which kind of feels like one step forward, two steps back, but you know.
If I don’t have multiple bags of homemade broth in the freezer at any given moment, I kind of freak out. It’s one of the first things I make after moving, and one of my favorite ways to break in a new kitchen. I’m so jealous that this whole sippable broth trend started in New York right as I moved away, because we would have been alllllll over that business. Somehow I think it’s going to be a while before Cincinnati picks up on this…
This broth has a lot of things in it that I don’t normally include in mine (what does it says about me that the sweet/potatoes throw me far more than the kombu? Awesome things, I’m sure), but I can see that for sipping, it would be crazy tasty. Might make a pot of this next week!
I have been itching to make broth! I’m the only one I know that hasn’t come down with the flu lately, and I feel like if I don’t make some broth, I’ll be next! I think this is my weekend project. Thanks :)
Hi Joy, this moment of broth is brought to us by “3 cups of tea” a book about Tibet and world changing ideas around educating girls too. The broth is from extreme mountain sports in eastern climates and somehow we in the west feel it’s our due to glom any idea from anywhere, why not? It’s healthy, it’s eternal it’s almost soup! Your recipe is far more to my liking than yak butter, and most will find it easy to head into self-care with normal ingredients. Cheers to the new year and health!
I make stock in the crockpot every time I have bones available. I freeze it in ice cube trays & store the cubes in big bags in the freezer. They’re perfect for adding a bit of liquid (& lots of flavor) to recipes. Right now I have turkey, beef, & smoked chicken stocks prepared.
Interesting recipe to post, love it! I’m a big believer in chicken soup for a cold and I think I’ll try this broth the next time I get the sniffles. Thank you!
Good call on the kombu. My husband is Japanese, so my tiny non-English-speaking mother-in-law would give you an enthusiastic bow for that one.
I keep a big ole’ crock pot full of perpetual bone broth on my countertop . . . I love it and freeze portions of it to use for broth or for sipping, as it’s ready. If you don’t mind my sharing my link, this is right up my alley: chicken feet are a great addition, for the gelatin.
https://vomitingchicken.com/bone-broth-new-bff/
An Everlasting Meal is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. I didn’t want it to end.
My wife spends hundreds of store made broth every year, going to show her this. The whole carcass part freaks her out but I think she’ll get over it especially when she sees how nutritious it is. She sips hot broth to fill her up when she’s hungry, like before a meal and that seems to work for her.
This would be so yummy in soups!! Definitely trying this.
I’ll have to try this, looks so filling and I need those extra greens! x
cherieedle.blogspot.com
Funny. I just realized that I had a turkey and chicken carcass – thought I should make soup. _One Bite at a Time, the cancer cookbook, has a similar recipe. Thank you. I am now going to to make this.
If your mother said veggies make you beautiful, I am sure this is the soup for it! Yum!
This looks fantastic, and necessary as a detox! My body is not thanking me for Christmas. Never would have thought to put seaweed in but I love that idea.
Oh this is interesting! My mother cooked broth every Saturday, I remember the good taste so well! Now I must also cook broth as soon as possible, thank you for remembering this tasty kind of food :)
xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena http://www.dressedwithsoul.com