CHAPTER 28
Broth for Breakfast
Broth for breakfast? It might sound crazy, but broth for breakfast is a great way to start your morning, promoting increased energy, easy digestion, and a stable mood throughout the day.
Stellar Breakfast Miso Soup
Emily Marenghi, Portola Valley, California
Serves 2
2 cups homemade chicken broth
2 tablespoons naturally fermented red or white miso paste
2 poached eggs
2 green onions, ends cut off, thinly sliced
Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Lower the heat to a simmer and stir in the miso paste until dissolved. Divide between 2 bowls, gently set a poached egg on each, and scatter the green onions on top. Eat with a large spoon.
Eggs in Broth
Richard Hruby, Bloomington, Minnesota
Serves 1 to 2
1¼ cups homemade broth (any type)
3 or 4 eggs, separated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Lightly whip the egg whites and stir them into the simmering broth. Return to a light simmer, then pour the broth and whites over the uncooked yolks in bowls. Gently lift the whole yolks up with a wooden spoon to get the broth underneath them so that the white left on the yolk has a chance to cook. After a few minutes, break up the yolks and stir them in. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Eggs in Broth with Sauerkraut
Rebecca L. Stults, Langley, Washington
Serves 1
1 cup homemade broth (any type)
2 eggs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons raw sauerkraut (optional)
Bring the broth just to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the eggs and stir lightly so the whites congeal while the yolks remain soft. When the eggs are gently poached, remove from heat and pour the eggs and broth into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cool slightly, then stir in the optional sauerkraut.
Breakfast Meat and Veggie Scramble
Susan Blake, Tacoma, Washington
My thirteen-year-old son and I have a meat and veggie scramble just about every morning for breakfast. It can be made with fresh meat and vegetables or leftovers and is easy and nutritious either way. Any combination of meat and vegetables will work, but we have a few favorites: (1) ground elk or beef, green beans, green cabbage, carrots, and onions; (2) pork and apple sausage slices, onions, mushrooms, cubed sweet potatoes, and zucchini; (3) shredded chicken, cooked lima beans, carrots, chard stems, and diced beets. My son has a sensitivity to eggs, so this makes a great nutritious substitute for an egg-based breakfast.
Serves 2
2 tablespoons lard, duck fat, suet, butter, or ghee, or a combination, plus more if needed
8 ounces meat (see headnote)
2 cups shredded or finely diced vegetables
Up to ½ cup homemade broth (any type)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toppings: butter, grated raw cheese, sour cream, avocado, or raw sauerkraut
Melt the lard in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the meat and cook it until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add additional fat to the pan if necessary.
Add the vegetables to the fat in the pan and cook until tender. Start with onions, mushrooms, and more fibrous vegetables and add the more tender vegetables at the end. Add up to ½ cup bone broth, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the meat to the vegetable mixture and cook until warmed through. Serve with your choice of toppings.
Breakfast Goulash
Megan Ulrichs, Bozeman, Montana
Serves 6
3 cups homemade chicken or beef broth
1½ cups polenta
3 to 4 tablespoons butter or ghee
1 pound sausage meat
6 to 8 eggs, poached or fried over easy
2 to 4 ounces raw cheddar or goat cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pour the broth into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes.
Melt the butter in a large skillet. Crumble the sausage meat into the skillet and cook, stirring, until browned, about 10 minutes.
Stir the cooked eggs, sausage, cooking fat, and cheese into the polenta. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Stock Eggs
Lydia Palermo, Monument, Colorado
Serves 1
2 cups homemade chicken stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 eggs
Bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and gently crack the eggs one at a time into the simmering water. Simmer for 3 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Cool for 2 minutes, top with the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, and serve.
Mighty Morphing Breakfast Soup
Lynn Kramer, Catskill, New York
This recipe combines grains with eggs and provides the best of both raw and cooked food.
Serves 2
2 tablespoons rolled oats
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 cup homemade broth (any type)
¼ cup raw sauerkraut
¼ avocado, flesh scooped out and diced
2 eggs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Soak oats in a jar with the lemon juice and warm filtered water to cover at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse.
Bring the broth to a boil in a small saucepan and add the soaked oats. Lower the heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until softened.
Meanwhile, place the sauerkraut and avocado in a bowl. When the grain is cooked to your liking, separate the eggs. Put the whites in the pot and the yolks in the bowl. Gently cook the whites, stirring, until opaque, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the oat–egg white mixture into the bowl with the raw ingredients and gently stir to break the yolks and blend them into the soup.