Vegetable Stock

One lesson I have learned in my time as a professional cook is the value of having lots of home-made stock on hand all the time.  Today I'm specifically talking about vegetable stock.

In the restaurant, we make and go through several gallons of vegetable stock every day.  It's in just about everything.  Not just a base for soups, vegetable stock is also used as a cooking liquid in place of water for most preparations. It imparts much more flavor into what you're cooking than plain water.  Rice, beans, quinoa, vegetable braises and poaches, faro, etc.  And using vegetable stock (instead of a meat-based stock) leaves the dish vegan and vegetarian friendly.

A second great value of vegetable stock is that you can use scraps to make it.  So it's highly economical.

When I make stock at home I always use certain base ingredients, then add whatever surplus of other veggies I have laying around.  The basics - carrots, onions, and celery. Some of the vegetables and scraps that are a good idea - mushrooms, leeks, fennel, greens, celery root, parsnips, turnips, cabbage, broccoli.  Next time you are prepping vegetables for a dish, save the trim.  The otherwise "inedible" throwaway parts.  Stems, tops, cores, etc, and use them to make stock.

Veggies for Stock

Peel and cut your carrots, onions, celery and other veg into large pieces.  Add about 2 tbsp vegetable oil to a stock pot over med heat.  Sweat the vegetables without any color.  Add enough water to cover the vegetables by about 2 inches.  Add parsley stems, a few sprigs of thyme, bay leaves, and 2-3 cloves of garlic.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 1 hour.  Strain the stock into containers and store for use.  Refrigerate, freeze or can/jar.