Broth is a great pick-me-up with curative powers, perfect for rebalancing your body after all that over-indulgence

Nourishing, restorative and comforting, broth is good for your gut, your immune system, your bones, joints and skin – and it's cheap to make. Nutritional therapist Vicki Edgson and food writer Heather Thomas have devised more than 100 recipes for soups, stews, casseroles, risottos and sauces, each with a health-giving broth at its core.

French onion soup

Who can resist this classic simple soup of meltingly sweet and tender onions in a richly flavoured broth topped with floating cheesy croûtes? The secret to its success lies in the most important ingredient: the beef bone broth. A bouillon cube just won’t do and will produce a pale, inferior imitation of the real thing. To serve a lighter version of this soup, you may choose to omit the cheesy croûtes and go for a healthier option, such as toasted rye cubes with a tiny sprinkling of Parmesan or Grana Padano.

SERVES 6

2–3 tbsp olive oil

1 knob butter

4 large onions, thinly sliced

2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour

1.5 litres/2½ pints boiling classic beef

bone broth (see below)

125 ml/4 fl oz/generous ½ cup dry

white wine

1 bay leaf

1 small baguette

10 ml/2 tsp Dijon mustard

125 g/4oz/generous 1 cup grated

Gruyère cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Heat the olive oil and butter in a deep pan over a low heat. Add the onions and cook very gently for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them sticking, until they are meltingly tender and sweet and have started to caramelize.

Stir in the flour and cook gently for 2–3 minutes, then add a little of the boiling broth, stirring until smooth and well combined.

Stir in the remaining broth together with the wine and bay leaf, then partially cover the pan and simmer very gently for at least 40 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat the grill to high. Slice the baguette into diagonal rounds and lightly toast under the grill. Thinly spread each slice with mustard.

Divide the soup between six heatproof bowls and float the toasted baguette slices, mustard-side up, on top. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and place under the hot grill for just long enough to melt the cheese. Serve immediately.

Classic Beef Bone Broth

In an age when many are eschewing animal protein in favour of its vegetarian alternatives, there are some sources of protein that simply can’t be ignored, providing they are sourced from grass-fed animals that are reared and treated humanely. Whilst vegetarian proteins are superb in themselves, they rarely supply the abundance of amino-acids required for rebuilding and repair.

Broth made from beef bones is mineral-rich and contains complete re-building nutrients vital to those who wish to pursue a natural anti-ageing approach to their health, without resorting to facial fillers and other synthetic approaches to achieving a youthful look.

The collagen found in the marrow of bone broth is far more bio-available to the body than any supplement alternative or cosmetic injectable facial treatment, and works with the body’s natural repairing systems over a longer period of time.

MAKES 1.2 LITRES/2 PINTS

1.5 kg/3 lb 3 oz beef bones (T-bone and

knuckle work well) cut into 5 cm/2 in pieces

2 sticks celery, roughly chopped

2 medium carrots (parsnips or swede would also work well), roughly chopped

2 medium onions, roughly chopped

1 mixed bunch thyme, sage and marjoram, tied together with string

2.25 litres/4 pints water

4 tbsp apple cider or red wine vinegar ground black pepper

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas mark 5. Spread the chopped bones over a large roasting sheet and transfer to the oven to cook for 45–50 minutes until well browned and sticking to the tray. Add a splash of water to the pan and stir to loosen the bones and remove any congealed juices. Transfer the bones to a large pan.

Place all the vegetables into the pan, along with the herbs, and pour over enough of the water to cover. Add the vinegar (which will help to draw out the minerals from the bones), then cover the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and leave to cook, covered, for 12–24 hours, regularly topping up the water to ensure it is always covering the bones. The longer the broth cooks, the richer it will be.

Cool the broth to room temperature, then strain through a piece of muslin (cheesecloth) into a large bowl. Use the broth immediately or portion it into freezerproof containers and store in the fridge for 5 days or the freezer for up to 5 months.

Dhal with Griddled Sweet Potato

When it’s a cold night or you’re in need of real comfort food, a bowl of steaming dhal never fails to warm you up. In India, dhal is not just lentils and the name encompasses all manner of pulses, dried beans and peas. The combination of lentils and sweet potatoes makes this a great sustaining dish. And, what’s more, it’s inexpensive, simple to prepare and cook, and tastes delicious.

SERVES 4

2 tbsp sunflower or groundnut (peanut) oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp grated fresh root ginger

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

250 g/9 oz split red lentils

500 ml/16 fl oz vegetable top and tail

Broth (see below)

1 x 400 ml/14 fl oz can coconut milk

4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 large sweet potato, cut into thin wedges

(skin left on)

100 g/3½ oz baby spinach leaves

juice of 1 lime

naan bread or chapatis, to serve

For the spicy onion topping:

2 tbsp sunflower or groundnut (peanut) oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 red chilli, deseeded and cut into thin shreds

8 fresh curry leaves

METHOD

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy pan and cook the garlic, ginger and chilli over a low to medium heat for 2 minutes without colouring.

Stir in the mustard seeds and ground spices and when the mustard seeds start to pop, add the lentils, vegetable broth and coconut milk. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes until the dhal is thick and creamy in texture. If it’s still a bit liquid, cook for a little longer; if it’s too thick, add some more broth.

Make the spicy onion topping. Heat the oil in a shallow pan and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until it starts to caramelize and turn golden brown. Add the cumin seeds, chilli and curry leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

When the dhal is nearly ready, put the sweet potato with the remaining oil and some salt and pepper in a bowl and toss gently together. Heat a griddle pan until it’s really hot and cook the sweet potato for 2–3 minutes each side until tender and slightly charred.

Stir the spinach leaves, lime juice and sweet potato into the dhal and season with salt and pepper. Spoon into 4 bowls and top each with a spoonful of the spicy onion mixture. Serve with warm naan or chapatis.

Vegetable Top and Tail Broth

This stock originated on a retreat I was running for many of my regular retreat guests, when I was fortunate enough to

have a full day of preparation of several of the dishes. I was cooking on a large Aga stove, in a huge country house kitchen that could have served over 100, and I set up my ‘tops and tails’ broth pan to throw all the tops, tails, skin and peelings of all the vegetables we were using. I simply threw a few pints of water over them all, and had this pot simmering all weekend, with various additions as the days went on. What transpired was delicious, nutritious and an obvious way to recycle what we had in front of us, rather than putting it all out to compost. If you are a relatively large family, this is worth it, believe me.

MAKES 1.2 LITRES/2 PINTS

Choose any 6–8 from the following as you will only be using what you have cut off the whole vegetables ready to discard or compost, and pick 2 herbs and one spice at a time:

onions, garlic and leeks, celery, endive, fennel,

turnips, parsnips, swede (rutabaga), courgettes

(zucchini), sweet potatoes, butternut squash,

French, runner or broad (fava) beans, beetroot

(beet), carrots, chard, kale or spinach

2.25 litres/4 pints water

2 tbsp apple cider or wine vinegar

coriander (cilantro) leaves, parsley, bay leaves,

sage, thyme, rosemary or fennel

ginger, turmeric root, star anise, cloves,

cinnamon or nutmeg

METHOD

Place all your ingredients (scrapings, shavings, peelings, tops and tails, less-than-perfect leaves, strong spines of chard, curly kale and spinach) into a large cauldron (this is the Witches’ Brew, after all!) and set onto a moderate heat on the hob (stovetop) for several hours, (or whilst you are cooking the main dishes for your day).

Check every hour to ensure that there is sufficient fluid and to mix the ingredients in the melting pot.

Turn off the heat at night, but do not put into the fridge, as the flavours will develop if they are left all together.

Strain the soup into another pot before ladling out your broth as needed, and heat to have as a hot drink, with mixed spice, or to add to relevant recipes.

NOTE These broths will never taste the same twice, but that is the beauty – add flavourings and herbs as you wish, depending on the meals you are serving at the time.

Broth by Vicki Edgson and Heather Thomas (Jacqui Small, £14.99)