This is my Rosetta stone of soup, a broth that can be transformed to meet a myriad nutritional needs, serving as everything from a delicious sipping tea to the powerful base for more hearty soups and stews. So no matter what a person’s appetite, it can provide a tremendous nutritional boost. Chemotherapy often saps your strength due to dehydration, which pulls vital nutrients out of your system. This rejuvenating liquid, chock-full of magnesium, potassium, and sodium, allows the body to refresh and restore itself. I think of it as a tonic, designed to keep you in tip-top shape.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 quarts

　　6 unpeeled carrots, cut into thirds

　　2 unpeeled yellow onions, cut into chunks

　　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, quartered

　　5 unpeeled cloves garlic, halved

　　1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley

　　1 8-inch strip of kombu

　　12 black peppercorns

　　4 whole allspice or juniper berries

　　2 bay leaves

　　8 quarts cold, unfiltered water

　　1 teaspoon sea salt

　　

Step 1

Rinse all of the vegetables well, including the kombu. In a 12-quart or larger stockpot, combine the carrots, onions, leek, celery, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam, garlic, parsley, kombu, peppercorns, allspice berries, and bay leaves. Fill the pot with the water to 2 inches below the rim, cover, and bring to a boil.

　　

Step 2

Remove the lid, decrease the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for at least 2 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.

　　

Step 3

Strain the broth through a large, coarse-mesh sieve (remember to use a heat-resistant container underneath), then add salt to taste. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing.

　　

rebecca’s notes

Step 4

Like fine wine, this broth gets better with age. The longer the simmer time, the better tasting and more nutrient dense the broth will be. You can also cut the recipe in half and make it in a slow cooker.

　　

storage

Step 5

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days or in the freezer for 4 months.

　　

nutrition information

Step 6

(per serving)

　　

Step 7

Calories: 45

　　

Step 8

Total Fat: 0g (0g saturated, 0g monounsaturated)

　　

Step 9

Carbohydrates: 11g

　　

Step 10

Protein: 1g

　　

Step 11

Fiber: 2g

　　

Step 12

Sodium: 140mg

　　

CULINARY RX

Step 13

Kombu might sound like an exotic name for a jazz ensemble, but it’s really a long, dark brown to black seaweed that is dried and folded into sheets. It keeps indefinitely if stored in a cool, dry place. Kombu contains a full range of trace minerals, which are often deficient in people with compromised immune systems, and is high in potassium, iodine, calcium, and vitamins A and C. It’s also rich in a type of polysaccharide known as fucoidans, which may inhibit cancer cells. Kombu is available in the Asian section of many grocery stores, or you can order it online (see Resources, page 208).

　　Excerpted from The Cancer Fighting Kitchen, copyright 2017 by Rebecca Katz and Met Edelson. Published with permission by Ten Speed Press.