Making your own vegetable stock sounds like a lot of work. But I promise you, it is probably the easiest dish you will ever make!
Pick up a few vegetables, give them a quick scrub, add some herbs and spices- cover it with water and you are done!
Store bought vegetable stock is packed with sodium and added ingredients to preserve taste, color and consistency. I make vegetable stock a few times a year, I always have frozen stock on hand- after I learned how easy it is to make. You can use the stock for soups, stews, casseroles or even to cook rice, as it adds lots of flavor to your meals. I mainly use my stock for soups and vegetarian purees during the Autumn months.
I rarely make the same stock twice, you can choose which herbs and vegetables you would like to use to make your stock versatile. Just keep in mind, when making vegetable stock you should think of making something fairly neutral in flavor. Some stock recipes recommend adding garlic and other strong flavors and spices, unless you know how you intend to use it, you can save those strong flavors for when you actually make your dish. I also do not add salt, as I prefer to add it to the finished product.
Traditional Vegetable Stock (not pictured above)
Ingredients:
2 Carrots
1 Onion, unpeeled, cut in 4 slices (I like to peel them)
1 Celery Stalk
8 Garlic Cloves, crushed
4 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
2 Bay Leaves
1 Small Bunch Parsley
6 Whole Peppercorns
2 oz. White Wine
Optional Ingredients, that I recommend:
1 Leek
1 Fennel
4 Mushrooms, with Stem
1 Parsnips
Instructions:
1. Give all your vegetables a good scrub and rinse of any dirt. Onions, carrots and celery give you the base flavors for the stock, everything else you add is to enhance it. I recommend you place all your smaller herbs or aromatics, in a cheesecloth and tie it, or a spice bag (Bed Bath and Beyond has reusable, economical ones.)
2. Roughly chop all your vegetables and throw them in your stock pot. Add enough water to cover all your ingredients, and add about 2 extra inches of water. (I used 3 quarts of water for about 8 cups of stock.) Cover and place the pot on medium-high heat until it starts to boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Occasionally, stir your stock to ensure all your ingredients are circulating throughout.
3. Strain and Store, take the pot off the heat and strain all the vegetables and remove your aromatics bag. Pour the stock through a strainer that is lined with a cheese cloth or coffee filter. Cool completely, then separate for storage or freezing.
For more intense flavors:
Consider roasting or sweating your vegetables.
Sweating: Saute your vegetables over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables begin to brown and complete the recipe as above.
Roasting: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl toss 1 tablespoon of oil with the carrots, onions, garlic, and any optional ingredients you picked. Arrange them in a roasting pan and place it in the oven, stirring once, cook for 45 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Complete the recipe as above.
Summer Stocks: You can add summer squash, tomatoes, green beans, eggplant, bell peppers, corn cobs, marjoram, oregano and/or basil.
Winter Stock: Celery root, parsley root, dried or fresh sage, mushrooms (about 1 pound, fresh).
Let me know what delicious ingredients you added to your stock.
