Behind every great soup is a great broth, loaded with natural flavor and nutrients galore. It doesn’t matter if you’re a master chef or just scored your first stock pot: if you lock down that liquid foundation first the rest of soup-making is a breeze (and basically guaranteed to be delicious).
Below is your ultimate guide to basic broths, from the pages of Rebecca Katz’s Clean Soups. Rebecca is kinda a big deal in the culinary world. These recipes are cleaner than the classics, but just as immunity-boosting and nutritious as the OGs.
Make a batch of bone broth, use some for soup and sip the rest throughout the week; freeze chicken stock in an ice cube tray and add to sautéed greens as they cook; toss some diced veggies into a mug of mineral broth at work and call it a day. However you plant to use these broth recipes, just be sure you do…
Magic Mineral Broth | This is my signature savory broth. Its creation was that wonderful moment when everything came together in the kitchen to create something truly healing. (I must have been channeling someone’s grandmother!) Literally thousands of people have spoken with me about the positive impact this broth has had on their lives. You’ll be amazed at how revitalizing it is. With carrots, onions, leek, celery, potatoes and more, it’s a veritable veggie-palooza and can be used as a base for nearly all the soups in this book. In a bowl or sipped as a tea, it’s the perfect cleansing broth.
Nourishing Bone Broth | Put this one in the time machine. Bone broths are trendy these days, but in fact they’ve been around since the ancient Greeks. It turns out the gelatin that seeps from the bones as they simmer is great for gut health and digestion. Beef bones also contain high amounts of calcium and magnesium, which are great for your bones. One note: Invest in pasture-raised, organic bones, if at all possible, to ensure you’re getting the highest-quality ingredients possible, free of hormones and antibiotics.
Old-Fashioned Chicken Stock | Some things you learn at your father’s knee. But chicken stock? I learned that at my mother’s elbow, watching from my perch on the yellow Formica kitchen countertop as she reenacted her Nana’s chicken stock note by note. Onions, carrots, celery, chicken… it’s down-home, old-time comfort in a pot. I can’t think of a better way to get vital nutrients, with a flavor that will leave you longing for more.
Magic Mineral Broth
Makes about 6 quarts
Ingredients:
6 unpeeled carrots, cut into thirds
2 unpeeled yellow onions, quartered
1 leek, white and green parts, cut into thirds
1 bunch celery, including the heart, cut into thirds
4 unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
2 unpeeled Japanese or regular sweet potatoes, quartered
1 unpeeled garnet yam (sweet potato), quartered
5 unpeeled cloves garlic, halved
½ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (8-inch) strip kombu
12 black peppercorns
4 whole allspice or juniper berries
2 bay leaves
8 qts cold, filtered water, plus more if needed
1 tsp sea salt, plus more if needed
Directions:
Rinse all of the vegetables well, including the kombu.
In a 12-quart or larger stockpot, combine the carrots, onions, leek, celery, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam, garlic, parsley, kombu, peppercorns, allspice berries and bay leaves. Add the water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for at least 2 hours, or until the full richness of the vegetables can be tasted. As the broth simmers, some of the water will evaporate; add more if the vegetables begin to peek out.
Strain the broth through a large, coarse-mesh sieve (use a heat-resistant container underneath), and discard the solids. Stir in the salt, adding more if desired. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Reprinted with permission from Clean Soups, copyright by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, 2016. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
nourishing bone broth
Makes about 6 quarts
Ingredients:
3 lbs marrow bones from grass-fed organic beef or chicken bones
3 unpeeled carrots, cut into thirds
2 unpeeled yellow onions, quartered
1 bunch celery, including the heart, cut into thirds
5 unpeeled cloves garlic, halved
½ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
12 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
8 qts cold, filtered water, plus more if needed
sea salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place the bones on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan and roast until browned, 20 to 30 minutes.
Rinse all of the vegetables well. In a 12-quart or larger stockpot, combine the bones, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, parsley, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme and vinegar. Pour in the water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the lid, decrease the heat to low, and skim off the scum that has risen to the top. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 8 to 16 hours. As the broth simmers, some of the water will evaporate, add more if the vegetables begin to peek out.
Remove and discard the bones, then strain the broth through a large, coarse-mesh sieve; stir in the salt to taste. Let cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate overnight in an airtight container. Skim off as much fat as you can from the top of the broth, then portion into airtight containers.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Reprinted with permission from Clean Soups, copyright by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, 2016. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
old-fashioned chicken stock
Makes about 6 quarts
Ingredients:
6 lbs organic chicken backs, necks, bones, and wings
2 unpeeled white onions, quartered
4 unpeeled large carrots, cut into thirds
2 stalks celery, cut in thirds
6 sprigs fresh thyme
4 unpeeled cloves garlic, halved
1 large bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
8 black peppercorns
8 qts cold, filtered water, plus more if needed
sea salt
Directions:
Rinse all of the vegetables well.
In a 12-quart or larger stockpot, combine the chicken, onions, carrots, celery, thyme, garlic, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns. Add the water, cover, and cook over medium-high heat until the water comes to a boil. Decrease the heat so the bubbles just break the surface of the liquid. Skim off the scum and fat that have risen to the surface. Simmer, partially covered, for about 3 hours. Add more water if the vegetables begin to peek out.
Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve or colander lined with unbleached cheesecloth into a clean pot or heat-resistant bowl, then stir salt in to taste. Bring to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Skim off as much fat as you can from the top of the broth, then portion into airtight containers.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Note: The stock will cool faster in smaller containers. Make sure it’s refrigerated within 4 hours of cooking.
Reprinted with permission from Clean Soups, copyright by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, 2016. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
