Cure What Ails You

This one's been a long time coming. Yes, it's another soup. Or...well, it's the base for many other soups, I suppose. And this one, after much delay, I dedicate to another cousin: Maryfrances. Sorry it's been such a long time coming. We were busy trying to get everyone over that latest bug. You know how it goes.

Now, I have to apologize to all of my readers (what are there, like, six of you?) because this really isn't much of a recipe. I mean, I don't really measure stuff. But, I can tell you what I did, sort of roughly, and you can figure it out, I'm sure. With the herbs and spices, I always recommend starting small and increasing quantities as you see fit after tasting. You know, it's my mantra: Taste, and adjust seasonings. Don't I almost always say that? Well, that's because it's almost always true.

I want to preface this recipe, also, with a disclaimer. I am not a doctor. If you need medical attention, please, please get it. I do say my soup will "cure what ails you," but, sometimes, soup alone is not gonna cut it. Years ago, I started reading up on herbal and nutritional treatments for cold/cough/flu/asthma, etc. symptoms, because we tend to have a lot of them, and I like to avoid too much heavy-duty medication, when I can. My goal was to find ways to help our bodies naturally, whether we used those methods in conjunction with prescription meds or instead of them. For us, it's a craps shoot ~ sometimes, just a good pot of soup and lots of rest are all we need. Other times, we call in the big guns. Like I said, I'm not a doctor, but, like most moms, I do what I can. What it comes down to is this: I can't promise this will make you better, but it probably won't make you worse.

So, here goes ~ a good old-fashioned cold cure:

In a large soup pot, heat several tablespoons of oil over low heat. (I use extra virgin olive oil, because I like the flavour.)

Add* (chopping all vegetables roughly:

2 very large onions
an entire head of garlic, peeled
4-8 stalks of celery, leaves and all
4-6 carrots (or more)
a good bit of parsley (maybe 2-3 TBS?)
about 2 tsps. rubbed sage
1/2 -1 tsp. rosemary
1/2 -1tsp. thyme
1-2 TBS apple cider vinegar
1-2 TBS honey
1-2 TBS Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce, but I like Bragg's)
a good sprinkling of salt and black pepper

Cook, stirring occasionally for maybe 10-20 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. At about this time, people in your home should start asking you for kleenex, because their sinuses should be draining. This is a very good sign. That's just what we want.

Now, add any or all of the following:

Basil
Cumin Seed
Ginger
Turmeric
Cinnamon
Cayenne (can make it spicy ~ you can wait and add to individual dishes later, if you prefer)
Black Pepper (yeah, I know you already added some)

Stir well, and continue cooking 5-10 minutes. Pass out more kleenex.

Now, add:
two 14 or 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, with their liquid
Water. Lots and lots of water. Like, as much as you can reasonably fit in your pot, while still leaving room to boil.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for...pretty much...ever. Forever. Roughly.

The idea is to keep this cooking all day, so all that good onion/garlic/herb infused steam fills up your home and empties out your sinuses (gross, but true ~ and such a relief, too). Just keep adding water as it cooks off, check the flavour once in a while and adjust seasonings as necessary. I find that, as this is cooking, my body tells me what it needs. Like, sometimes, I can actually think, "Wow, that cumin really seems to be breaking up all the gunk in my lungs ~ better add more of that," or "I think just a few more cloves a garlic will do the trick."

Yes, you can sneak a little mug of the broth (strain it and dump the veggies back in the pot to keep cooking) while it is cooking. I recommend, if you have a lot of junk in your chest, rather than just in your head, adding cayenne and turmeric to that mug.

At the very least, you want to cook this until the veggies almost dissolve. Seriously. A lot of your onions will seem to just kind of disappear over time, as will garlic, celery...carrots hang on a bit, but you get the idea. You can go in every now and then with a potato masher to move things along. Just keep adding water to keep it brothy. We're making broth here, by the way. Did I mention that we're making broth? So, yeah ~ important to keep it brothy :)

This is a great thing to put on the stove when you wake up int he morning and think to yourself, "Crap. I'm sick, and I am not going anywhere today." You don't want to put this in your crockpot and go to work. I mean, you could, if you have a really big crockpot...but then you'll miss all the benefits of that wonderful steamy goodness in your home. And, trust me, you do not want to miss out on that.

When you finally decide it has cooked long enough (for me, this is usually because it is bedtime, I completely forgot I still had a giant pot of broth on my stove and I have to take care of it before I go to bed, damnit!), turn it off, and let it cool for a while. Place a very large bowl in your sink, and strain your broth into the bowl. You might have to do this a bit at a time. When it is all strained, portion it in to reasonably-sized jars, containers, freezer bags, etc. It does store well in the freezer, which is why you make a lot all at once. Unless you have a battalion to feed. in that case, don't freeze any.

Now, when you want to make soup, use your homemade broth. Use it just like you would use any broth. Still season your soup the way you normally would. So, if it calls for onions and garlic, use them ~ that way, you get even more good stuff. You can also use your broth as cooking liquid for rice, quinoa or similar foods, and, of course, you can just heat it and drink it as is. The great thing is, you can adjust seasonings as you cook with it, too. For instance, if I want more of a curry flavour, I will add curry powder, turmeric, ginger, coriander, etc. If I want something like minestrone, it gets garlic, oregano, basil... It's pretty versatile stuff, I find.

When I made this recently, I used it the next day to make soup for Justice, who has been fighting yet another nasty sinus infection. I heated the broth and added diced potatoes, lima beans and some tiny pasta bows. I think I might have added more garlic, too. She loved it. Hallie and I like cabbage in our soup, so I made some for us with all of those ingredients and some chopped cabbage. It was divine.

Hope this helps you all get through the inevitable days of sniffles and snuffles (and wheezes and sneezes and coughs and other yucky stuff) a bit more comfortably.

Oh, and if you are aware of any other natural treatments for cold/flu/respiratory symptoms, please share them in the comments. Thanx!