There is nothing like home made stock! Apart from the rich, succulent flavor it adds to soups and sauces, store-bought stocks don’t even come close to the nutritional content of home made soup stock. Following is a traditional vegetable stock recipe. Inspired by Chef and Author Rebecca Katz’s (someone in the healing foods industry I truly admire and adore) Magic Mineral Broth.
Nourishing Soup Stock
Author: Kirstin Nussgruber
Recipe type: Soup
Ingredients
- (As the vegetables are used with skin, organic produce is recommended)
- • 2 onions, scrubbed but with skin, cubed
- • 4-5 garlic cloves, scrubbed but with skin, slightly crushed
- • 2-3 carrots, scrubbed, unpeeled, sliced in ½ inch rounds
- • 3-4 large stalks of celery, leaves included
- • bunch of parsley, whole
- • 2 yams or sweet potatoes, scrubbed but with skin, cubed
- • 3-4 red potatoes, scrubbed but with skin, cubed
- • 2” piece of fresh ginger, cut into thick slices
- • 2” piece of Kombu (also known as Kelp) seaweed
- • 3-4 bay leaves
- • 6-9 whole peppercorns
- • 4-6 juniper berries
- • 4-6 cardamom pods
- • 2-3 star anise pods
- • 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- • blob of pastured butter, organic ghee or EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
Instructions
- In a large stock pot melt either butter, ghee, or add EVOO, add vegetables (except parsley) and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes.
- Add whole spices, kombu and water until all ingredients are covered.
- Bring to a boil and skim off any scum that rises to the top.
- Add parsley, and simmer on low heat for a minimum of 3-4 hours.
- Add water in between if the levels drops and the contents start peeking out.
- When done, remove all contents with a slotted spoon, strain liquid into a bowl
- When chilled, transfer to glass mason jars, fill to ¾ capacity and transfer to freezer for long term storage (6 months max) or use as a base for a soup immediately.
Notes
When filling mason jars with broth, leave enough space, at least 1 ½ to 2 inches, for the liquid to expand during freezing! I learned this the hard way, and had to throw out a whole batch of bone broth as the glass shattered!