Vegetable Stock Recipe
The Best Vegetable Stock Recipe you'll ever have. I know when I make a soup or need a stock I am looking for full flavor but I refuse to use bouillon. It's just not going to happen. So when I need a homemade vegetable stock I want it to taste as great as any of my other stock recipes.
When you make a chicken stock recipe, or beef stock recipe, or your fish stock recipe the flavor comes mostly from the bones of the meat product and the excess meat. The extra's only add to that basic flavor of the bones.
So when you make a vegetable stock recipe how do you get a full flavor?
ADD EVERYTHING!
Well, almost…
Get creative. What are the spices and flavors you want to stand out in your stock recipe? That’s what you want to add dominate your selection.
Vegetable Stock Ingredients:
2 large onions, skinned and cut in quarters.1 scallion
6-8 large carrots. Peeled and quartered.
4 Celery stalks cut in quarters
1 bunch of parsley rinsed and left whole
8-10 garlic cloves
1 green peppers, halved and seeds removed
1 bag of spinach
2 large tomatoes
½ bunch of broccoli
1 to 1 whole turnip
1 pound of mushrooms (caps and stems)
2-3 dried bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
2 sprigs of fresh Thyme
5-10 pepper corns
½ cup Olive Oil
1 cup White Wine
Course Salt to taste
Of course the amount of ingredients listed are for my mega pot of 12 quarts. So adjust as needed for larger or smaller pots.
If you want to end up with a tomato base stock you should add a can of San Marzano tomatoes, juice and all, during the cooking process and for thicker tomato taste, add additional cans and mix in a blender with the broth after you strain the vegetables from the stock.
Be sure to rinse or scrub the vegetables throughly before you add them to the pot. Peel them if you must but the skin is part of the flavor.
You can add red peppers, yams or sweet potatoes but only if you like a little sweetness. I don't because it limits how I can use the stock in my Italian soup recipes.
The sky is the limit though really.
You can use, portobello mushrooms (caps and stems) radishes, kale (be careful with the bitter vegetables and leafy greens), cabbage, even zucchini and squash. They all have flavor so if you like it, throw it in the pot. And make it a big pot because all those veggies will shrink up as you cook them.
As far a spices are concerned the sky is the limit as well. You can add oregano, thyme, basil, even curry, ginger or mint depending what type of flavor base you want.
Vegetable Stock Recipe Preparation:
The rest is as simple as any other stock recipe. Bring the vegetable stock recipe to a boil and lower to simmering boil. Then boil some more. Keep on boiling (about 2 hours or more) until the vegetables have become completely soft. Then you know you've gotten as much flavor as possible out of them and that flavor is in the water or, broth.
Strain the broth from the vegetables. Look how golden and delicious this broth looks.
Depending on what type of soup you plan on making you can either discard the vegetables or you can blend them with a cup or two of the broth to make a vegetable soup puree. This is a good time to add the San Marzano tomatoes and blend. Serve with a little homemade pesto sauce and drizzle with Olive Oil. Also absolutely delicious and if you are a devout vegetarian you can use this stock as a base for gourmet sauces as well.
Let the homemade vegetable stock cool for at least an hour or two. Set in the refrigerator if needed but be sure it's cools before you place in separate containers.
You can freeze it just like you would your chicken stock, beef stock or fish stock. Or better yet use this vegetable stock recipe in your next Italian pasta soup recipe!
Vivere, Amare, Ridere e Mangiare Bene
Live, Love, Laugh and Eat Well!
Kira Volpi
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