Homemade Vegetable Broth
Hey guys! Rita here. So, Summer is out the window and I don't know about you guys, but we're slowly starting to crave some warming stews, soups and risottos. If you're not used to making your own vegetable broth or if you don't even use it in your recipes, I'm sure it sounds pretty boring and unnecessary. I actually felt the same way until I made it the first time! The truth is, vegetable broth is an awesome way to add a burst of flavour to all Autumn and Winter dishes like the ones I mentioned or perhaps some asian-inspired veggie and noodle broths. Since every store-bought vegetable broth, whether in liquid form, in cubes or powder, is packed full of harmful additives that may even compromise the flavour of the ingredients, we got back to making our own. This is also a great way of using parts of the vegetables you would usually discard of, such as the celery leaves or the leeks' green tops.
There's the trick to never let the broth boil vigorously or cook for too long or else it will become bitter. But apart from that, it is actually pretty simple to make. Although it takes a long time to cook on the stove, it will only steal you 15 minutes of your active time to prep it and 15 to finish and strain it. It holds perfectly in the freezer for 3 months so you'll have instant flavour on hand whenever you're making a recipe that benefits from that little extra kick. This recipe yields a rich, deep flavoured broth thanks to the garlic, red bell pepper, tomato paste and rosemary but if you're looking for a lighter and fresher flavour profile, you could omit those and use fresh ginger, lemongrass, dried mushrooms and a fennel bulb instead — it is really yummy in asian recipes!
HOMEMADE VEGETABLE BROTH
2 hours & 30 minutes | makes 6 cups / 1,5 L.
INGREDIENTS
2 onions
3 garlic gloves
2 leeks, green parts only
1 red bell pepper
2 celery stalks, with leaves
2 carrots
1 parsnip
1 tbsp organic tomato paste
1 tsp whole black pepper corns
1 sprig rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp tamari sauce
STEP BY STEP
Start by gathering, preparing and measuring all of the ingredients. This will improve your dynamic in the kitchen.
Wash the celery stalks, leek greens and parsnips and peel the carrots and onions. Remove the stem and seeds from the red bell pepper and smash the garlic cloves with the peels on.
Chop all of the vegetables into large chunks.
Throw all of the chopped vegetables, spices and herbs (except for the tamari sauce) into a large stock pot.
Pour in about 10 cups | 2,5 L. of water, or just enough to cover the veggies.
Slowly bring up to the boiling point and reduce the temperature to a light simmer as soon as it starts boiling.
Allow to cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Add the tamari sauce and cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool down for at least half an hour to prevent burns while draining the broth.
Once it's cooled, remove (and discard) the larger chunks of vegetables with the help of a slotted spoon and strain the broth using a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth.
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY!
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