Victorious Vegetable Stock Recipes

VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Tip everything into a large saucepan with a pinch of salt then cover with 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours. Pass through a sieve and use for your intended recipe. Will keep in the fridge for a week and for six months in the freezer.

BASIC VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Chop scrubbed vegetables into 1-inch chunks. Remember, the greater the surface area, the more quickly vegetables will yield their flavor.
• Heat oil in a soup pot. Add onion, celery, carrots, scallions, garlic, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add salt and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain. Discard vegetables.
• Other ingredients to consider: mushrooms, eggplant, asparagus (butt ends), corn cobs, fennel (stalks and trimmings), bell peppers, pea pods, chard (stems and leaves), celery root parings, marjoram (stems and leaves), basil, potato parings . . . Get the idea?

VICTORIOUS VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Use the flat side of a chef's knife to gently crush the garlic cloves.
• Wash unpeeled vegetables well and cut them roughly into large pieces. Add to a large stock pot along with all other ingredients. Add entire sprigs of the herbs rather than removing the leaves from the stem.
• Cover with water. Water level should be about 4 inches above the top of the vegetables. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam from the top of the broth, then partially cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. At the end of the cooking time, if you wish to make the stock richer, remove the lid and continue cooking uncovered to slightly reduce it.
• When the stock has cooled slightly, strain it through a sieve or cloth, pressing all of the remaining liquid out of the vegetables. Compost or discard the remaining vegetables. What you don't eat immediately can be refrigerated for 3-5 days, or frozen.

EASY PREP VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Buy the whole head of celery but use the top half for this stock. Rinse any dirt off the leaves and put in a large stock pot. Any outer stalks that you wouldn't use in cooking can be added as well.
• Add a whole bunch of parsley and a bay leaf.
• Trim the roots off the onion and cut in half. Only remove the skins if they are split and dusty, otherwise just leave them on.
• Cut the tops off the carrots, wash and cut in half lengthways.
• Add the water and put on to simmer for an hour and a half to two hours.
• Strain the vegetables. I do this in a colander (not a sieve) and squash the celery to get every last bit of flavour out of it. The stock is still lovely and clear and full of flavour.
• Note: I don't season this stock since I'm going to use it in another recipe anyway.

DIABETIC VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Saute the chopped onions in a skillet until they are all brown and almost black.
• Although you may vary the vegetable ingredients to taste, I strongly recommend that you do not omit the browned onions or the parsnip.
• In a crockpot, combine vegetables and water.
• Bring to a simmer, skimming foam from surface.
• Add parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns.
• Cook on low for about 3 hours and check it periodically, adding more water as necessary to keep ingredients covered.
• Taste the stock and continue cooking, if desired – the longer it cooks, the stronger the flavour will be.
• Strain stock through a fine sieve.
• Stock keeps 3 days in the refrigerator or 1 month if frozen.

VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Place the vegetables in the stockpot, add 2 litres of water, a bay leaf and some peppercorns, and simmer, covered, over a low heat for 1-2 hours.
• Strain and freeze in small portions (about 1 cup/8 fluid ounces).
• If you run out of stock, use water, and add a teaspoonful of soy sauce, miso paste or Vegemite, and a bayleaf.

BASIC LIGHT VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Wash the vegetables well, removing any soil or sand.
• Combine all of the ingredients in a large soup pot and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
• On high heat, bring the stock to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.
• When the vegetables are quite soft and have lost their bright colors, the stock is done.
• Strain the stock through a large colander or sieve, pressing out as much liquid as possible.
• Discard or compost the vegetable solids.
• Use the stock right away, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days, or freeze up to 6 months.

VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Toss together mushrooms, shallots, carrots, bell peppers, parsley and thyme sprigs, garlic, and oil in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast in middle of oven, turning occasionally, until vegetables are golden, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Transfer vegetables with slotted spoon to a tall narrow 6-quart stockpot. Set roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze pan by boiling over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Transfer to stockpot and add bay leaves, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Pour through a large fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and discarding solids, then season with salt and pepper. Skim off fat.

VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• In a medium stockpot, melt the butter and oil, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat. Add the onion; cook until caramelized, 15 to 25 minutes. Add the carrots, parsnips, and celery, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
• Add the Swiss chard to the vegetable mixture. Add 3 1/2 quarts cold water and the thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer, uncovered, about 1 hour.
• Remove from the heat, and strain the stock through a fine sieve or a cheesecloth-lined strainer, pressing on the vegetables to extract the juices. Discard the vegetables. The stock can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
• With a few simple ingredients, some basic kitchen equipment, and a little planning, wonderful stock is easy to make at home.
• Use meat and bones to make a stock; if you use only bones, that's exactly what the stock will end up tasting like.
• The stockpot should be tall and narrow enough to keep the ingredients snug; too much space causes the flavorful liquid to evaporate rather than extracting the full flavor from the ingredients.
• Don't rush stock; it takes 3 to 4 hours to release all the flavor from the bones.
• Add enough cold water to cover the ingredients by 1 or 2 inches-no more, or the stock may be too watery. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat right away so the liquid barely simmers (use a metal trivet or a flame tamer). Letting the stock boil too long can result in greasy, off flavors; all that churning makes the fat released from the bones and meat emulsify with the water.
• As the stock gently simmers, a thin skin of impurities will form on the surface. Skim this skin off with a slotted spoon, and discard. Skim the stock every 30 minutes. When the liquid falls below the level of the bones, add cold water.
• Strained and cooled, stock keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days and in the freezer for 3 to 4 months. Once it's refrigerated, a layer of fat develops on top of the stock; skim it off with a spoon, and discard. If you freeze the stock, leave the fat intact as a seal; remove it before using.

RICH VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.
• Toss vegetables, garlic, and herbs with oil in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until golden, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners over medium heat. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute.
• Transfer vegetables with juices to a 4-quart pot. Add water, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon salt and simmer, covered, 45 minutes. Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids.