A good, rich vegetable stock is indispensable. Although decent commercial veggie stock can now be bought in most grocery stores, making your own is easy, practical and can even be creative.
In the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cook book, they offer this advice: “The only vegetables to avoid are tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, asparagus, and all of those in the cabbage family, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. If you scrub the vegetables, there is no need to peel them.”
I would agree with that list and add to it; no bitter veggies like turnip and use beets judiciously depending on whether you want a sweetish (and purplish) stock or not. Barring those listed, you can use a combination of pretty much anything you have at hand. Many people keep their vegetable peelings and cuttings in a bag in the freezer in readiness for the day they will be added to the stock pot.
Personally, I like a very deep flavoured stock and to achieve that end, I often roast some my veggies.
Here’s what I do ( I have a huge stock pot):
In a large roasting pan (with a rack if you have one), place:
3-4 large carrots
2 medium-large white potatoes
2 medium-large sweet potatoes
3 stalks celery
2-3 parsnips
2-3 medium onions
1 whole head of garlic
a package of cremini (coffee) mushrooms
Roasting at 400°F in the middle of the oven for around 20 minutes. You can, if you like, lightly oil the carrots, potatoes and parsnips to help brown them a bit.
When the veggies are starting to get fragrant, remove from oven and place in the stock pot. At this point, you can add any cuttings and peelings you may have stored and/or some green beans, pea-pods, or any other handy green veggies.
Definitely add:
another head or two of garlic
any more mushrooms you have around
some fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
2-4 Tbsp of cumin seeds or more
2-4 Tbsp or more of coriander seeds
1 Tbsp peppercorns
Cover with water by an inch or two. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 45-60 minutes or as long as three hours, depending on how much water you have used and how concentrated you want your stock to be. Using a slotted spoon, remove all the veggies (give the onions, and garlic a bit of a press with another spoon to extract some of their juices) and as much of the spices as you can. Strain the stock through a tight-weave cloth (I have an unbleached cotton tea-towel for just this purpose). Freeze when cooled or use. Add salt to taste when using.
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2 comments:
Michael, this proved to be a wonderful addition to my daily cooking ideas. It really added a different dimension to the various meals I've made. One other point, does the diarrhea last beyond 24hrs?
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