When a family member recently fought – and won – her battle with a life-threatening disease, it was a pot of this immunity-boosting broth that could always be found steaming away on the stove. More like an elixir – this simple, traditional veggie stock from The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen
is full of immune system supporting and super-hydrating minerals. Perfect for the ailing patient or the cold and flu prone household, make free-flowing mugs of this broth a part of your yearly cold weather-busting arsenal.
Author Rebecca Katz on the Magic Mineral Broth’s popularity: It took 65 gallons, scores of attempts and a full rotation of the earth around the sun before I came up with what I eventually called ‘Magic Mineral Broth’ for my last book The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen. The inspiration was practically in my genes: I’d been raised on Jewish Penicillin—a.k.a. chicken soup—and wanted to create a delicious, nutrient dense veggie broth with amazing health properties. After experimenting like a mad scientist for a year, Magic Mineral Broth came to be.
To my delight, it became not only my ‘go-to’ broth, but that of thousands of readers, friends and colleagues. The recipe became the surprise hit of the book and I am continually delighted to hear from readers like one recent mom who swore that it was ‘MMB’ that got her teen son back on the basketball court after a bout of Mononucleosis.
This jazzed up version of MMB is a preview from my newest book The Longevity Kitchen
and acts like an internal spa treatment. I’ve brought numerous herbs and spices renowned for their longevity properties to the table, notably thyme and garlic. As a dazzling hydrating broth or tea this really is an elixir of life! I’m living proof that even in the kitchen, older is wiser; it only took me 25 quarts and two months to get this broth to hit my Hallelujah button.
Magic Mineral Broth 2.0 - updated with herbs & spices for The Longevity Kitchen
- Ingredients
Makes 6 quarts
1 fennel bulb, plus tops
2 unpeeled yellow onions, cut into quarters
6 unpeeled carrots, cut into thirds
1 leek, white and green parts, cut into thirds
1 bunch celery, including the heart, cut into thirds
2 unpeeled sweet potatoes, washed and cut into chunks
1 garnet yam, washed and cut into chunks
1 large bunch fresh, flat-leaf parsley
6 sprigs fresh thyme
12 large cloves unpeeled garlic, cloves smashed
3 inches unpeeled ginger, cut in half, lengthwise
1 8-inch strip of kombu
12 black peppercorns
4 juniper berries or allspice berries
2 bay leaves
8 quarts cold, filtered water
1 teaspoon sea salt - Directions
Rinse all the vegetables well, including the kombu. In a 12-quart or larger stock pot, combine the onions, carrots, leek, celery, sweet potatoes, parsley, thyme, garlic, ginger, kombu, peppercorns, juniper berries, and bay leaves. Fill the pot with 8 quarts of water, cover and bring to a boil.
Remove the lid, decrease the heat to low and simmer,
uncovered, for 2 to 4 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, course-mesh sieve (remember to use a heat-resistant container underneath), then add salt to taste. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing.
Variation: For an extra immune boost, add 8 shitake mushrooms to the stock and/or a six inch piece of Burdock root, washed and cut into quarters.
- Notes
Store refrigerated in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days or in the freezer for 4 months.
Balancing the broth: A spritz of lemon juice and some sea salt, about 1/8 teaspoon of each per cup, does a lot to bring this broth to life.
Like fine wine, this broth gets better with age. A longer simmer will increase the broth’s taste and nutrient density. You can also cut the recipe in half and make it in a slow cooker.
Enjoy!
- Win the new cookbook
We're giving away a copy of Rebecca's latest book, The Longevity Kitchen! To enter - you know what to do! - leave us your comments below. The reader with the best immunity-boosting tip will win a copy of this amazing new cookbook.
