Bone Broth, à la carte or for Egg Drop Soup and Lentil Soup

“Blue Monday,” the alleged gloomiest day of the year, occurs on the third week of January’s workday start. It is marked by two things: withdrawal of holiday season high spirits, and the onset of widespread seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Throw in this week’s nor’easter and the nightmare state of our country, week one, and I’m going to go ahead and say that this dark, dark, cerulean period is going to extend a bit longer than 24 hours. 

Winter-onset SAD is a real thing, marked by symptoms like irritability, tiredness, low energy, and heavy, leaden limbs. With our physical and mental energies down, it’s important to nurture our bodies more than ever. I can’t think of anything more heart and soul warming than a steaming cup of Chicken Bone Broth, consumed on its own or as the main ingredient in Egg Drop Soup or Lentil Soup.

All three of these recipes come from the Annual Goop Detox, which, I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant to start at first. Words like “detox”, “cleanse”, and “elimination-diet” are really not my style—I’m more of a whole-ingredient, nutrient-rich eating gal who prefers general eating for health over restriction and discipline.

However, all of the recipes in the detox looked amazing, and I loved how GP reused ingredients and components for the different dishes. I didn’t commit to elimination-diet rules (no caffeine, no way!) but am currently making my way through each of the 14 dishes with utter delight. Roughly three-quarters through, I’ve immensely enjoyed the way that GP constructed “cozy-hot breakfasts, warm and filling dinners, and quick and simple lunches” to make clean eating feel natural in our current cold-weather climate. By the end, she promises a “lighter, happier, refreshed you.” A tall order for Blue Monday: Extreme Edition, but I truly felt all those qualities after two weeks of eating the meals.

Many of the recipes in the Annual Detox have an Asian flare, and the Chicken Bone Broth is no exception. Simmered with ginger, star anise pods, cilantro, and apple cider vinegar, this broth exudes a lovely, spicy bite from these more exotic ingredients (in addition to common ones like celery, onion, carrots, and garlic). It is truly glorious on its own, and despite the recipe’s recommendation to cook for a total of 10 hours, ample flavor can be achieved in just 2-3.

The Egg Drop Soup is simply a fortified version of the broth, adding turmeric, chili flakes, more ginger, lemon juice, and a single egg for a protein-rich, inflammation-fighting, citrusy enhancement. It’s lovely, and ribboning the eggs was so fun! (Though my soup looks more like a weird floating omelet because I used two eggs and apparent have terrible ribboning form). GP even recommends this soup for breakfast, and its light enough to fit the bill.

The Lentil Soup is a fairly basic recipe, but exalted to Best-I’ve-ever-had status through use of the bone broth. Two kinds of lentils, puy and red, give legume depth and variety, which are cooked simply with garlic, carrot, and celery before blended with a quick grate of fresh ginger and the broth. The bite from the ginger is a really nice complement to the earthy lentils, and I added some frozen chopped spinach and red wine vinegar for extra gusto, too.

Find the full Annual Goop Detox here. (Laarb Lettuce Cups and Miso Sweet Potato Collard Wrap are two of my non-soup favorites).

At first, I was struck by how ironic it was that I was getting such pleasure from these pure, simple foods. I literally felt like I was indulging, as if I were drinking a glass of red wine and eating a rich chocolate cake. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. My body, mind, and spirit are trying to heal. And while I can’t control what goes on outside of me—whether that be the weather or the president—I can take charge of what I put inside of me. And here is the only place to start.

Chicken Bone Broth (from Goop Annual Detox)
Makes 12 cups

Ingredients:
1 half organic chicken (or just the equivalent roasted chicken bones. I made a version this way and it was great, too)
1 celery stalk, cut into thirds
1 yellow onion, cut in quarters
2 medium carrots, cut in half
4 garlic cloves
2 star anise pods
1 3-inch piece ginger, sliced
½ bunch cilantro
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
10 cups water (or enough to cover all the ingredients)
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
20 black peppercorns

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low heat for 6* hours. Remove meat from chicken, shred, and store until ready to use.
2. Return the chicken bones to the crockpot and continue cooking for 4 more hours.
3. Strain, cool, season to taste with salt, and store in the fridge.

*2 to 3 hours of cooking, total, is perfectly adequate.

Egg Drop Soup (from Goop Annual Detox)
Serves 2

Ingredients:
3 cups chicken bone broth
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 pinches chili flakes
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 large eggs
salt and pepper to taste
a squeeze of fresh lemon
cilantro to garnish (optional)

Directions:
1. Combine the bone broth, ground turmeric, chili flakes, and grated ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. While the mixture heats up, crack the eggs in a small bowl, season with a pinch of salt, and beat with a fork.
3. When the broth is simmering, pour the egg through the holes of a slotted metal spoon directly over the broth, making egg ribbons.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper and squeeze over some fresh lemon juice just before serving. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Lentil Soup (from Goop Annual Detox)
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1-2 medium carrots, diced
1-2 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
⅔ cup puy lentils
⅓ cup red lentils
2 cups chicken bone broth or chicken stock
½ tsp salt
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 cups bone broth
½ cup chopped frozen spinach (optional)
Red wine vinegar, drizzled before serving

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a medium dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
2. Add lentils, broth, and ½ tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 20-25 minutes (or until the lentils are cooked but still have some bite), stirring occasionally.
3. Remove pot from heat and let cool for at least 5 minutes. Add the fresh grated ginger and 2 cups bone broth to the pot. Blend together with an immersion blender. Add spinach, if using. Serve with a drizzling of red wine vinegar.