CHAPTER 29
Tonics
Any recipe prepared with broth will provide health benefits, but the recipes in this chapter are specifically targeted at supporting the immune system and good overall health.
Coconut Ginger Soup for Colds and Flu
Serves 4
1 quart homemade chicken stock
1 (13.5-ounce) can whole coconut milk
1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
Juice of 1 lemon or 2 limes, strained
¼ teaspoon red chile flakes
Sea salt
Combine the stock, coconut milk, ginger, lemon juice, and chile flakes in a large saucepan; place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, season with salt, and serve.
Pigskin Broth for Beautiful Skin
This is a wonderful tonic for the skin.
Makes 1 quart
About 2 cups rind from a ham or bacon, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 quart cold filtered water
Place the rind in a small pot and add the vinegar and water. Place over medium heat, bring to a bare simmer, and carefully spoon off any scum that rises to the top. Lower the heat to low and cook at a bare simmer with the lid off for 4 to 6 hours, until the rind is almost disintegrated and the broth thickens. Occasionally skim scum from the top as needed and check to ensure that the ham remains covered with water, adding more water as needed.
Chicken Broth Pick-Me-Up
Serves 1
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup homemade chicken broth
Combine the turmeric, salt, ginger, molasses, and coconut oil in a mug. In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil and pour it into the mug. Stir to mix well and dissolve the seasonings and serve.
Hot and Sour Broth Tonic
Mary Evans, Flushing, New York
Serves 1
1 cup homemade beef broth, heated
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Dash of hot sauce
Mix all the ingredients in a mug, stirring to dissolve the tomato paste, and serve.
Chicken Broth Cubes
Because I’m tight on storage space, when I make chicken stock I don’t add vegetables until the day I’m using the stock; the result I seek is a concentrated thick gel that can be transferred to a shallow storage tray and placed in the refrigerator or freezer.
Once the carcass and bones have simmered for 24 hours, I remove the bones and boil the stock down to a thick gel, taking care not to let it stick to the bottom. To judge how well it has set, I test it by taking a soupspoon sample and letting it cool for a minute. If it’s reasonably firm, then I know that it’s ready to set and I pour it into the storage tray and place it in the fridge. After it has firmed up, I cut it into cubes and place the cubes in a zip-top bag. The cubes are easily removed and added to various dishes as needed.
My daughter, who was recovering from dehydration from intravenous drug care at a hospital in India, needed a quick remedy to overcome nausea and extreme weakness. I made a tonic by melting a cube or two of chicken stock in water with a teaspoon of chopped fresh ginger and served this to her several times a day. It proved beneficial and a welcome relief. We have relied on the cubes over several years as standard care for colds, flu, and respiratory disorders.
—Mary Pope, Glenroy, Australia
Encapsulated Broth
I’m not a great fan of drinking broth, and I travel a lot, so I encapsulate my broth. I make a very basic broth with various browned beef bones and a lot of garlic, using a minimum of water.
Once the broth is cooled and I have removed the fat and strained it, I put it in my biggest pot on the stove over low heat and cook it until it is greatly reduced, then I pour the reduced stock onto trays in a dehydrator and dehydrate it until very dry. Then I grind it up in my food processor, though you could use a mortar and pestle, and then pour the beef dust into empty gelatin capsules. Sometimes I will add ground dehydrated green vegetables if I have any. I take two of the capsules every morning so I am never without the health benefits of gelatinous broth!
—Jade Petersen, Peelwood, Australia