About Homemade Vegetable Stock
There are some ingredients that make all the difference in the preparation of a dish, both in terms of nutrition and flavour, a perfect example of this are homemade stocks. Preparing your own homemade stock and getting rid of industrialized stocks is a big step in building a healthier kitchen.
Making stocks at home is very easy. Of course, some preparations, like chicken stock and beef stock, need a little more planning. But, the vegetable stock is quick and practical, besides being ideal for recipes that need a more neutral flavour.
Vegetable Stock: the basic and classic way method
In classic French cuisine, the base of any broth is called “Mirepoix” which is a mixture with 50% onion, 25% carrot, 25% celery or leek (or a mixture of the two). The vegetable broth takes only Mirepoix and a few more herbs and spices (Bouquet Garni).
Tips: veggie stock preparation and how to use it
- Don’t use salt, the stock is usually the basis for other recipes. It is best to leave it neutral and add salt only at the final preparation.
- Prepare in excess and freeze in jars or ice cubes, so you always have frozen homemade stock.
- Add others fresh or dried herbs to add flavour to the broth, it can be marjoram, thyme, etc. Tip: if it is a herb with a fragile leaf, such as parsley, use only the stems.
- How about an extra touch of spice? Cloves, star anise and cumin seeds add a special flavour to the broth.
- The base of the stock is onion, celery and chives, but you can also add other vegetables – see more tips here.
- Mushroom stalks can contribute to a good broth.
- Use the stock in risottos, soups, to cook meat, rice, baby food, etc. If water goes in the recipe, you can replace it with vegetable broth and make the dish even more nutritious.
Here we share the classic vegetable stock recipe. Additionally, as we love recipes that avoid food waste, we teach in this other post how to make easy vegetable stock with kitchen scraps.
How to make homemade vegetable stock – Check out the Recipe
Homemade Vegetable Stock
Adjust servings
Ingredients
- 2 onion
- 1 carrot
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 bay leaf
- thyme stems - or rosemary stems
- 3 parsley stems
- 5 black pepper
- 3 liters water - or enough to fill up the stock pan
- olive oil
Instructions
- Chop the vegetables coarsely into medium pieces.
- Heat the oil over medium heat. First, sauté the onion, then the rest of the vegetables until golden.
- Add water, herbs and spices. Keep on medium heat until boiling
- As soon as it boils, turn the heat to a minimum and cook for approx. 45 min.
- Wait to cool and strain.
- The stock is ready to be used in recipes or stored.
Notes
- The stock can be frozen in small containers or ice cubes. It lasts 3-6 months in the freezer or 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight jar.
- The vegetables used will lose a lot of its flavour. If you do not want to waste it – blend the remaining vegetables, without the herbs and freeze to add in a creamy soup.
Menu Suggestion:
Use this vegetable stock to make a great risotto recipe.