Vegetable Stock

By Recipe developed for Sur La Table’s Cooking Classes
Images
Vegetable Stock
Serves
Makes 1 quart
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 large carrots, peeled, sliced
  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 1 medium fresh fennel bulb, sliced
  • 1 medium celery root (celeriac), peeled, sliced
  • ½ head of garlic, crushed (with peel)
  • 6 large fresh Italian parsley sprigs
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 large fresh rosemary sprig
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 16 cups water
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns


Procedure
Homemade stocks make a noticible difference in your cooking—and it's nice to make use of those vegetable scraps. Stock is the liquid extracted from foods slowly cooked in water and/or wine and used as a foundation for soups, sauces and other dishes. If you want darker broth, brown the vegetables in oil for 10-15 minutes over medium heat, then add water and herbs and bring to a boil, scraping up any dark bits from the bottom of the pan. If you want fragrance and complexity, add any combination of tomatoes, fennel, mushrooms, or other aromatic vegetable to the browning process.

Heat oil in very large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots and next 8 ingredients. Sauté until vegetables are golden and begin to soften, about 15 minutes. Add 16 cups water and bring to a boil. Add peppercorns; reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 hours.

Strain vegetable mixture, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in strainer. The broth can be made up to 5 days ahead of when needed. Cool slightly; cover and refrigerate.

Vegetable Stock

By Recipe developed for Sur La Table’s Cooking Classes
Serves
Makes 1 quart
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 large carrots, peeled, sliced
  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 1 medium fresh fennel bulb, sliced
  • 1 medium celery root (celeriac), peeled, sliced
  • ½ head of garlic, crushed (with peel)
  • 6 large fresh Italian parsley sprigs
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 large fresh rosemary sprig
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 16 cups water
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns


Procedure
Homemade stocks make a noticible difference in your cooking—and it's nice to make use of those vegetable scraps. Stock is the liquid extracted from foods slowly cooked in water and/or wine and used as a foundation for soups, sauces and other dishes. If you want darker broth, brown the vegetables in oil for 10-15 minutes over medium heat, then add water and herbs and bring to a boil, scraping up any dark bits from the bottom of the pan. If you want fragrance and complexity, add any combination of tomatoes, fennel, mushrooms, or other aromatic vegetable to the browning process.

Heat oil in very large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots and next 8 ingredients. Sauté until vegetables are golden and begin to soften, about 15 minutes. Add 16 cups water and bring to a boil. Add peppercorns; reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 hours.

Strain vegetable mixture, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in strainer. The broth can be made up to 5 days ahead of when needed. Cool slightly; cover and refrigerate.