Vegetable Stock

by Brenda Langton, Tastemaker in Residence

Making stock does not take much time. It can be simmering while you are preparing the soup vegetables; it can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until you are ready for it. Some soups can be made with water instead of stock, but stock always adds to the flavor. We do not have one all-purpose stock recipe: our stock varies with the kind of soup we are making and what we have on hand.

There are certain vegetables that are basic to every stock: onion, celery, carrots, and herbs. Our recipe includes these and more, along with some suggestions for variations. Some of our soup recipes list specific stock additions; other recipes simply call for vegetable stock. Use this basic recipe, adjusting it to fit what you have on hand in your kitchen. // makes 6 to 8 cups

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped (celery leaves are nice too)

6 to 8 cups water

2 to 3 cloves garlic, smashed

6 to 8 sprigs fresh parsley

Fresh or dried herbs, such as bay leaves, thyme, and marjoram

Peppercorns

Instructions

Heat the vegetable oil in a soup pot and sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. When you sauté the vegetables, you help bring out their flavors. (Skip this step if you want to reduce the stock’s fat content and make a lighter stock.)

Add the water, garlic, parsley sprigs, herbs, and pepper- corns to the soup pot and bring the water to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain. Do not let unstrained stock sit: some vegetables may turn the stock bitter if they sit for any length of time.

Optional Ingredients for Stock Making

Winter squash The peels and seeds of winter squash add a lot of flavor and body to stock. They are especially good in soups containing winter squash. Cut up the squash for your soup before you make the stock and use the peels and seeds in your stock.

Summer squash Stock is a good use for sum- mer squash when you have mountains of it from the garden. It adds a delicate flavor, a nice addition to summer soups.

Parsnip If you have unwaxed parsnips from the market or your garden, use the peelings and cores for a slightly sweet flavor.

Broccoli stems Peel and save the broccoli stems. Chop them and add them to the stock for an earthy taste.

Leeks Use leeks instead of, or in addition to, onions. Leeks are milder and sweeter than onions. Some recipes calling for leeks ask for the bulbous white end only. Save the leaves for soup stock. 1 cup of chopped leaves is enough for 6 cups of stock.

Mushrooms Wild mushrooms, although expensive, add a tremendous amount of flavor. Just a few stems or broken pieces will go a long way. Dried mushrooms, shiitake, porcini, and morels all have unique, woodsy flavors. Add them to any stock being used in stews and soups that contain mushrooms. Domestic button mushrooms will be delicious too.

Green beans We always seem to have some tough, overgrown beans that are not suitable for serving. These add a lot of flavor to sum- mer stocks.

Corn cobs After slicing the corn from the cobs for the corn chowder recipe, you’ll have cobs full of sweet corn milk. Add these cobs to the stockpot for a great corn flavor. Corn cobs may be used in stock for other soups

as well; just remember that they result in a slightly milky liquid that you may not want to use for a clear soup.

Bonito fish flakes Bonito flakes add a mild, smoky fish flavor to stock. They are often used in Asian cooking. Add a small amount to stock for a fuller flavor.