Homemade Veggie Stock

Soup stocks are fairly simple creatures that can be made with any number of ingredients on hand. While beef and chicken stocks use bones, vegetable stock can be made with just about any vegetable scraps you have.

Save those onion skins and end pieces, the peeled skins of carrots and cucumbers, the tips of asparagus, celery, zucchini, radishes; the pieces of smashed garlic left in the garlic press, the mushroom stems, etc. All of these, instead of making their way to your trash or compost bin, can first be used to make a wonderful vegetable stock.

This is my favorite recipe because it has a number of health benefits, but keep in mind, you can use what you have and make substitutions as needed.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium yellow onion, split in half
• 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
• 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1 sweet potato, washed and chopped (skins still on)
• Red potatoes, washed and chopped (skins still on)
• 2 leeks, greens only (reserve whites for another use)
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 (4-inch) piece kombu (seaweed—you can find this in the international aisle at your grocery store)
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 6 sprigs parsley
• 1 tabespoon whole black peppercorns
• Sea salt to taste

PREPARATION:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large stockpot and cover with water by 1 1/2 inches. 
2. Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are completely tender and stock is aromatic and flavorful, about 40 minutes. 
3. Strain stock through a fine-mesh strainer. Discard solids. 
4. Allow stock to cool uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour. 
5. Cover and transfer to refrigerator until completely chilled. Refrigerated stock will keep for about 1 week, or freeze it for up to 4 months.

Vegetable stock is great for soups and stews, but it can also be used to cook rice (and give it a little extra punch of flavor), or poach fish. You can also add more depth to lentil dishes by cooking the lentils in stock rather than water.

JUST THE BASICS

If you don't have that much in the way of veggies, you can still make a steadfast veggie stock with these basics:

• Onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Whole black or white peppercorns

HINTS & TRICKS

 If you have a whole (or half) onion, slice it up and sauté it in your pot with a little oil or butter first. (You can do this with mushrooms as well.) Let the onions caramelize (get brown), then add in any aromatics (herbs) and heat them up. After a few seconds you'll smell the aromatics, add the rest of your ingredients and cover with water. When you don't have a ton of ingredients to work with, you need to make the ingredients you do have work harder. By sautéing things like onions and mushrooms, you dip into their more complex flavors, which helps your stock obtain a richer flavor.

Also, if you have a can of tomato paste, try "browning" the tomato paste in a skillet. It may not actually get brown, but you'll smell it as it heats up. Then add it to your stock. This also gives a deeper, more rich flavor.

GOOD STOCK STUFF

• Onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Leeks
• Tomatoes
• Corn
• Squash
• Cabbage
• Kale stems
• Sweet potato
• Red potato
• Radish
• Mushrooms (adding mushroom will result in a darker stock)

OPTIMAL AROMATICS + IMMUNE BOOSTERS

• Ginger
• Garlic
• Black peppercorns
• Turmeric
• Star Anis
• Cinnamon
• Coriander
• Seaweed
• Bay leaf
• Sea salt
• Thyme
• Parsley
• Rosemary