Vegetable Stock

Vegetable stock is used to add flavor and body to a lot of dishes. Soups and stews taste a lot better with fresh stock. Most store bought stock is full of preservatives and even if one were to find preservative free stock the flavor may not be to your liking. Making fresh stock at home gives you the ability to control the flavors in the recipe in which the stock is to be used.


I love this recipe because it produces flavorful stock every time that does not overpower your final dish.

You will need
1 potato
2-3 stalks celery
1 carrot
1/2 onion (optional)
5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf

Chop the potato, celery, carrot and onion (if using) into cubes.


Bring 8-10 cups of water to a boil. Lower the heat and add the chopped vegetables, bay leaf and thyme. Do not add salt or oil.


Let the liquid simmer for about 40 minutes. Turn off heat.


Let it cool completely before straining. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Note:
If you need to use the stock immediately, you do not have to wait for it to cool completely. Allowing the liquid to cool allows more of the flavors to seep into it.

You can adjust the proportions of the vegetables to change the flavor of the stock.

Comments

  1. such an useful post :) perfect vegetable stock to use in soups and curries !!

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  2. Very helpful recipe. Adds a good flavor to dishes..

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  3. That's a very useful post,home made stock is so flavorful..

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  4. This is such a useful ingredient to have always stocked!..good one..

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  5. Homemade stocks are always more flavorful than the commercial stocks.

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  6. I usually buy the cartons from trader joes. Your recipe is very easy to make -- will definitely try it at home soon.

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  7. I save veggie scraps all the time to make this. It makes it so flavorful- I just store in freezer until ready to use - things like parsley and cilantro stems, carrot peels, broccoli stalks. You should try next time - will make it so delicious!

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    Replies
    1. In my mind those are ingredients for compost - plant food. :) I cannot imagine eating anything cooked with them.

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    2. I tried this and I take back what I said earlier. The stock was delicious.

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  8. Lovely post and very useful to have if you make soups often. I sometimes add this to sambar too :)

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  9. Lovely basics recipe! I like Mir's idea of storing the scraps in the freezer...Will make some of my own soon..

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