Your Most Prized Kitchen Tool

‘As Dr. Pottenger was wont to say: “A big stock pot is the most important gift a bride could receive.”‘

Excerpts of this article were taken from Why Broth is Beautiful, By Kaayla T. Daniel, MS CCN.

I do recommend you read the entire article because there is so much to learn about this wonderful healing food; broth!

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“Fifty years ago Pottenger pointed out a reason that raw food diets can be so effective in reversing disease and contributing to rejuvenation. “Man’s food in the raw state consists largely of hydrophilic (water loving) colloids. (attracts digestive jiuces for rapid and effective digestions-according to SallyFallon) The heat of cooking on the other hand . . . precipitates the colloids of our diet. This change in colloidal state alters the hydration capacity of our foods so as to interfere with their ability to absorb digestive juices.” Happily for those who prefer their food cooked, Dr. Pottenger went on to explain that this digestive problem could be easily remedied by adding one-half ounce to one ounce of gelatin to a cooked meal of meat, potatoes, vegetables and fruits.”

Gelatin and the Liver

“Early research has also indicated that gelatin helps the liver. This is plausible in that the liver uses the amino acid glycine for detoxification, and its ability to detoxify is limited by the amount of glycine available. Back in 1935, Reuben Ottenberg, MD wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association: “It has been suggested that the administration of extra amounts of proteins containing an abundance of glycine (such as gelatin) will help the work in the liver. This seems particularly plausible since the recent work of Quick, who has shown that the ability of the liver to perform this protective synthesis is limited by the amount of glycine available.”

Ottenberg concluded with the recommendation that patients with jaundice and other liver problems take 5 to l0 grams of gelatin per day either in the form of food or as a powdered medicinal supplement.

The big question is why so many early studies showing the healing power of gelatin have languished in obscurity. The easy explanation is that after the 1930s, pharmaceutical drugs were widely prescribed for ills that were once healed with gelatin.

Most commercial gelatins today are brewed exclusively from pigskins or cowhide and so include no cartilage or bones. Years ago, however, some commercial cartilages came from mystery blends of cartilage, bones, skin and other junked animal parts. All these combinations differed in terms of their physical and chemical characteristics and in their physiologic actions. Gotthoffer reported that even glue was sometimes sold as gelatin. Complicating matters further, some of the so-called “gelatin” studies were done with the isolated amino acid glycine.”

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“Remember also that the amino acids in gelatin, like all amino acids, can only be properly utilized when the diet contains sufficient fat-soluble activators–vitamins A and D–found exclusively in animal fats. So don’t hesitate to put cream in your broth-based soups and sauces, and include other sources of vitamins A and D in your diet, such as butter, egg yolks and cod liver oil.”

In your next bowl of broth or soup, whisk in a raw egg yolk for added nourishment. You won’t taste it at all. Of course make sure you know the source of your eggs, before eating them raw.

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According to Sally Fallon in Nourishing Traditions, there are many other important ingredients that go into broth . Cartilage is one that has recently been shown to be remarkable in treating cancer and bone disorders. Collagen has been used successfully in treating rheumatoid arthritis and it’s especially necessary for those of us with Lyme Disease. Spirochetes feed on collagen, so it’s important to nourish your body with broths and to use products with MSM added in like Dr Ron’s body care products.

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Cooking bone broth is very easy and effortless. When our steer is processed for the freezer, we make sure to ask for all the bones. You can take 2-3 good size bones and throw them in a stock pot of water. It’s recommended to add a dash of ACV (apple cider vinegar), due to it’s ability to draw out more minerals and calcium from the bones. I cook all my stocks, whether chicken or beef, all day (8-10 hrs). At night I put the pot in the extra frig and pull it out in the morning and cook it another 10 hrs. I’ve never had a pot not gel. Mine gel all the way through.

When I use one of our chickens for grilling, I collect all the backs and necks in a ziplock in the freezer. After I have a few then I can make a pot of chicken stock. It’s a bit tedious to pick out all the tiny little bones. But since they are cooked to the point of almost dissolving, it’s not a big deal to get one and chew it up….hey, more nourishment! And make sure when you get your fresh chickens you request the heads and feet too! They hold the secret to what is fondly referred to as Jewish Penicillin.

If I’m planning to make a pot of chicken soup or beef vegetable, I wait until the second day and after cooking another 4-5 hrs, I then add the veggies. If I want some plain stock then I’ll skim some off to freeze. It’s great having nourishing little stock cubes (freeze in ice cube trays), that can be thrown in whatever you’re cooking; sauces, rice dishes, veggies. I spend many a winter day, cooking pots of stock and freezing containers of chicken or beef soup. They make a great quick meal and are extremely healthy during the winter months, as well as all year.

One Amazing Food!

(chicken liver mousse-this was fabulous!)

(see recipe below)

I’ve never been a huge fan of liver. However, since my recent diagnosis of severe anemia, I realize that liver is my friend. I found this amazing story on the WAPF site. Links are given if you’d like to see the entire article by Lynn Razaitis.

A CURE FOR ANEMIA

Pernicious anemia is a debilitating disease caused by B12 deficiency. Until 1926, the only treatment for the disease was blood transfusions. Shortly thereafter, Drs. Whipple, Murphy and Minot received the Nobel Price for their discovery of liver therapy for the disease. Dr. William P. Murphy recalls the discovery of the therapy:

“Dr. George Whipple of the University of Rochester had demonstrated that liver caused a rapid replacement of blood in dogs made anemic by bleeding. From his idea, we proposed that liver might be useful in treating pernicious anemia, even though this anemia was totally different from the one induced in dogs.

“With these observations, it became important to prove the efficacy of liver. But in those days, getting permission to do studies was not such an easy matter. The chief physician of Peter Bent Brigham Hospital was quite skeptical, but gave me permission with the understanding that a transfusion would never be withheld from a patient who needed one.

“I started one of my patients on liver therapy. This patient, a man in his forties, was critically ill and partially comatose. In spite of his condition, I was able to explain to him that liver might be distinctly useful to him. We found that if a patient were fed half a pound of liver per day, it would take about five days to show an increase in red blood count.

“But this man seemed more ill on the fifth day. According to the policy laid down, my patient was a candidate for a transfusion. I stayed up very late that night trying to decide to give him the liver. It was a miserable night, but around midnight I noticed that his red blood cell count had increased slightly. That gave me courage to go on with the liver. When I saw his blood count go up, I went home and collapsed into bed, slept very poorly and was back at the hospital at seven o’clock the next morning.

“I approached his room with fear and trembling, and cautiously peaked around the corner to see if he was still alive. To my great surprise and relief he sat up in bed and cheerfully asked, “What time is breakfast?” His blood count was at the maximum and he not only survived but lived many years. With that success, the staff became cooperative.

“Later, patients didn’t have to choke down liver but could receive extracts and still later, vitamin B12. . .”

For those who want to prevent pernicious anemia from ever occurring, the best course of action is to eat liver once a week, as our ancestors usually did.

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I also found this great new recipe on the same site at WAPF. It sounds really yummy. I’ll use cream instead of sour cream (just because that’s what I have on hand). Plus I also read another recipe using bacon! That sounds good too.

Liver with Sour Cream

Serves 4

2 1/2 pounds liver (calf, pork or beef), sliced
2 onions, chopped
1 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter
2 cup beef stock
2 tablespoons dill, freshly chopped
2 tablespoons unbleached white flour
sea salt and pepper to taste

Wash, pat dry, and sprinkle each piece of liver with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, fry on each side in butter and remove. Sauté the onions until golden brown and then layer both liver and onions in a deep pot. Deglaze the pan with beef stock, stir well and add the sour cream, stir, then add to the liver and onions. Mix well and cover. Cook slowly over low-heat for 20 minutes. Uncover, stir well, re-cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove liver from pot, arrange on individual plates and pour sauce over the slices. Sprinkle with the dill. This is very good when served with boiled or fried potatoes or rice.

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Here is another great recipe from my friend Ann Marie. I made it w/o the cognac. Mine is photoed above and it is delicious!!! I’m wondering if it would be as good with beef liver.

Balthazar’s Chicken Liver Mousse

1 pound chicken livers
1/2 pound plus 4 TBS butter, melted
1 egg
2 tsp salt
Pinch of quatre-epices (equal parts nutmeg, allspice, cloves and cinnamon)
Pinch of freshly ground white pepper
2 TBS Cognac

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Brush 6 4-oz ramekins with the 4 TBS melted butter.
3. Process the chicken livers, egg, salt, quatre-epices, pepper, and Cognac in a food processor. (I left out the Cognac, since I wanted to feed this to Kate. I didn’t have any white pepper so I used black pepper instead. And I used freshly grated nutmeg, only because I happen to have whole nutmegs and a nutmeg grater.)
4. With the food processor running, slowly add the 1/2 pound of melted butter. Blend for 15 seconds.
5. Pour the mixture into the ramekins, filling 3/4 of the way.
5. Set the ramekins in a baking dish and fill the baking dish with water to half the height of the ramekins.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.
7. Let the ramekins cool, and then refrigerate until needed.
8. Run a warm knife around the edge of each ramekin, cover with a plate, and invert.
9. Serve chilled (we ate it room temp) with baguette toasts.

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We aren’t sure yet, why I am severely anemic, but in my opinion it matters not. Not that it doesn’t matter, we will get to the bottom of it, but I mean, eating liver. I will up my liver intake to fit the doctors experiment in the above story. Oh boy, 1/2 lb liver a day!!!!! Man, I think I’ll go through a bunch of my 100 onions, plus all that liver from our steer. If I have to eat liver, I’d rather have chicken livers, BUT you guessed it….beef liver is the better! Look at this chart. It’s amazing! Look at the Vit A! Look at the Selenium! Look at that Potassium…it’s better than a banana!  Just look at the amazing nutrients…this for sure is a nutrient dense food if I ever saw one!!!!

Liver Comparison Chart

From: Nutrition Almanac, by John D. Kirschmann

	Beef	Lamb	Veal	Chicken	Duck	Goose	Turkey
Amount	1lb	1lb	1lb	1	1	1	1
Weight: gm	454	454	454	32	44	94	102
Vitamin A	199130	229070	102060	6576	17559	29138	18403
Vitamin B1	1.16	1.81	.9	.044	–	.528	.062
Vitamin B2	14.79	14.9	12.3	.628	–	.838	2.21
Vitamin B6	14	1.36	3.04	.24	–	.72	.78
Vitamin B12	363	472	272	7.35	23.7	–	64.6
Biotin	454	454	–	–	–	–	–
Niacin	61.6	76.5	51.8	2.96	–	6.11	10.35
Pantothen Acid	35	32.7	36.3	1.98	–	–	7.81
Folic Acid	.99	.99	–	236	–	–	752
Vitamin C	140	152	161	10.8	–	–	4.6
Vitamin E	6.36	–	–	–	–	–	–
Calcium	36	45	36	3	5	40	7
Copper	12.7	25	36	.126	2.62	7.07	.512
Iron	29.5	49.4	39.9	2.74	13.4	–	11
Magnesium	59	64	73	6	–	23	21
Manganese	1.23	1.04	–	.083	–	–	.294
Phosphorus	1597	1583	1510	87	118	245	319
Potassium	1275	916	1275	73	–	216	303
Selenium	206	–	–	–	–	–	–
Sodium	617	236	331	25	–	132	98
Zinc	17	–	17	.98	–	–	2.53
Total Fat	17.5	19.6	21.3	1.23	2.04	4.03	4.05
Saturated Fat	6.8	6.9	–	42	.63	1.49	1.28
Unsaturated Fat	5	6.63	–	.5	.59	1	1.73
Cholesterol	1360	1361	1361	140	227	–	475