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Easy Homemade Broth for Better Health, Better Taste by Dana Jacobi for The American Institute for Cancer Research Football season is about to reach its peak of holiday madness. If this sports obsession leaves you cold, spend some quality time in the kitchen instead. While the tv blares, make an old-fashioned, rich broth to freeze and use whenever a dish requires broth or a recipe calls for “stock.” The process will create some cozy aromas and a sense of well-being, and the result will improve your cooking for weeks to come. Not worth the time and effort, you say? Read labels, I say. The best tasting ready-to-use vegetable broths contain up to 980 mg. of sodium per cup, from MSG and other additives. More healthful commercial versions taste bland or muddy. Many commercial broths list carrots high on the list of ingredients. They look orange, not a good thing when making broccoli or split green pea soup. Most have a bitter aftertaste that affects most dishes. (We think of carrots as sweet-tasting because their sugar hits our tastebuds first, but chew a raw carrot and you will notice its bitter finish.) A while back, I was so frustrated by the available choices that I helped a food company develop what I thought was a great vegetable broth. We succeeded admirably, but then the company was sold and the product discontinued. So once a month, I make a big pot of vegetable broth, or stock. Most of its ingredients come from the freezer, where I stockpile leftover vegetables, like the ends from sliced zucchini, the dark green tops of leeks, mushroom stems and potato peelings. One secret for great vegetable broth is moderation, especially with strong-tasting vegetables like cabbage. Another is to add celery root, which looks like a dirty, knobby turnip but adds a pleasant sweetness. My personal secrets are to always use tomatoes and never include garlic. The acid of tomatoes balances the slight sweetness of the vegetables in the stock. Over time, garlic tastes funky, and its strong flavor makes the broth less versatile. Freeze the strained broth in quarter-, half- and one-cup portions, to use when cooking vegetables as well as when making soups, stews, or other dishes. It adds flavor that makes getting to the goal of “5-a-day” more deliciously easy. Vegetable Broth - Makes 2 1/2 quarts. 4 medium carrots, sliced 2 cups chopped green cabbage 4 white mushrooms, quartered 1 medium leek, white part only, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped Peel of 1 potato 1 medium zucchini, chopped 1/4 lb. string beans, cut in 1-inch pieces 1/2 small celery root, chopped (1 cup) 15 sprigs flat-leaf parsley sprigs 12 black peppercorns 3 quarts cold water 2 cups canned tomatoes, with liquid 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp. dried thyme In a large pot (4-quart or larger), place all the ingredients except tomatoes, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add tomatoes, bay leaf and thyme. Simmer 30 minutes. Let sit until cool. Strain broth into a large bowl or pot, gently pressing solids to extract their flavorful juices. Refrigerate broth up to 3 days, or freeze in small containers. Per 8-oz. cup: 56 calories, 0 g. total fat (0 g. saturated fat), 13 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. protein, 1 g. dietary fiber, 150 mg. sodium. AUTHOR: “Something Different” is written for the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) by Dana Jacobi, author of The Joy of Soy, and recipe creator for AICR’s Stopping Cancer Before It Starts. AICR offers a Nutrition Hotline (1-800-843-8114) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday-Friday. This free service allows you to ask a registered dietitian questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR is the only major cancer charity focused exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. It provides a range of education programs that help Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S. It has provided more than $65 million for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR’s Web address is www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International. RECIPE POSTED 2002

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