Recipe: Vegetable Stock

I don't know about you but I always seem to have a ton of vegetable scraps left over after cooking. Instead of throwing them away you can turn those scraps into a delicious vegetable stock. I love making soups and sauces using the vegetable stock as a base. You can make a true vegetarian curry or a wonderful Ginger Carrot soup using the vegetable stock. Sometimes using chicken stock can completely change the flavor profile of the dish, so I will use certain vegetables to make the stock depending on the dish that I will make. For example, I would just make a stock out of onions and carrots scraps for the Ginger Carrot soup and maybe add some of the ginger scraps into the stock as well.

Vegetable stock is incredibly easy to make and can be frozen for future use. I will usually save my vegetable scraps and place them in the freezer until I have enough to produce at least a couple of gallons of stock.

All you need to do is take your vegetable scraps (make sure there aren't any rotten pieces) and place them in a large stock pot. Cover the vegetables with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow the stock to simmer for 30-45 minutes. Strain the stock through a chinois (fine mesh strainer) or you can use a coffee filter to remove all of the fine vegetable particles for a clearer stock.

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Bon Appetite