Easy Vegetable Stock Recipe

Vegetable Stock

Stock is a flavored liquid preparation. It forms the basis of many dishes, particularly soups and sauces. Making stocks involves simmering animal bones or meat, seafood, or vegetables in water or wine, adding mirepoix or other aromatics for more flavor.

Traditionally, stock is made by simmering various ingredients in water. A newer approach is to use a pressure cooker. The ingredients may include some or all of the following:

Mirepoix

Mirepoix is a combination of onions, carrots, celery, and sometimes other vegetables. Often, the less desirable parts of the vegetables that may not otherwise be eaten (such as carrot skins and celery cores and leaves) are used. The use of these parts is highly dependent upon the chef, as many do not appreciate the flavours that these portions impart.

Herbs and spices

The herbs and spices used depend on availability and local traditions. In classical cuisine, the use of a bouquet garni (or bag of herbs) consisting of parsley, bay leaves, a sprig of thyme, and possibly other herbs, is common. This is often placed in a sachet to make it easier to remove once the stock is cooked.

Ingredients

 1to 2 onions
2 to 3 carrots
3 to 4 celery stalks


4 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 small bunch parsley
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
Optional Extras: leeks (especially the green parts), fennel, tomatoes, mushrooms, mushroom stems, parsnips

Method

Onions, carrots, and celery give stock a great base flavor, and you can round these out with any of the other vegetables listed above. You can also make stock using any amount of vegetables that you happen to have on-hand, but it's good to have a roughly equal portion of each so the resulting stock will have a balanced flavor.

Wash any visible dirt off the vegetables and give them a rough chop. You don't need to peel them unless you really want to. Add all the vegetables in a pot big enough to hold them plus a few extra inches of water.

Cover the vegetables with enough water that you can easily stir them in the pot. Less water means that your stock will be more concentrated; more water makes a lighter-flavored stock. Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring it to just under a boil. Once you start to see some bubbling around the edges of the pot, turn the heat down to medium-low.

This isn't an exact science, but one hour is generally enough time to infuse the water with vegetable goodness. If you need to take it off the heat a little early or don't get to it until a little later, it will be fine. Give it a stir every now and again to circulate the vegetables.

Take the pot off the stove and remove all the vegetables with a slotted spoon. Set your strainer over a big bowl and line it with cheese cloth or coffee filters. Pour the stock through. Divide the stock into storage containers, cool completely, and then freeze.

Stock will keep fresh for a week in Fridge and 3 months in Freezer..
You can utilize vertical space by using Zip Lock Bags...



My other Vegetarian Recipes:

1. Baked Potato: https://perfectlycooked.blogspot.in/2017/03/baked-potato-recipe.html
2. Lemon Coriander Soup: https://perfectlycooked.blogspot.in/2017/02/lemon-coriander-soup.html
3. Paneer Nuggets: https://perfectlycooked.blogspot.in/2017/02/paneer-nuggets.html
4. All Veg Recipes: https://perfectlycooked.blogspot.in/search/label/Vegetarian