Easy Prep Vegetable Stock Recipes

Steps:

• Chop scrubbed vegetables into 1-inch chunks. Remember, the greater the surface area, the more quickly vegetables will yield their flavor.
• Heat oil in a soup pot. Add onion, celery, carrots, scallions, garlic, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add salt and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain. Discard vegetables.
• Other ingredients to consider: mushrooms, eggplant, asparagus (butt ends), corn cobs, fennel (stalks and trimmings), bell peppers, pea pods, chard (stems and leaves), celery root parings, marjoram (stems and leaves), basil, potato parings . . . Get the idea?

Steps:

• Buy the whole head of celery but use the top half for this stock. Rinse any dirt off the leaves and put in a large stock pot. Any outer stalks that you wouldn't use in cooking can be added as well.
• Add a whole bunch of parsley and a bay leaf.
• Trim the roots off the onion and cut in half. Only remove the skins if they are split and dusty, otherwise just leave them on.
• Cut the tops off the carrots, wash and cut in half lengthways.
• Add the water and put on to simmer for an hour and a half to two hours.
• Strain the vegetables. I do this in a colander (not a sieve) and squash the celery to get every last bit of flavour out of it. The stock is still lovely and clear and full of flavour.
• Note: I don't season this stock since I'm going to use it in another recipe anyway.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large bowl toss the oil with onions, carrots, garlic, leeks and arrange them in a roasting pan.
• Place pan in oven and roast, stirring once, for 45 minutes or until golden brown and tender.
• In a large saucepan or stock pot combine the roasted vegetables with carrot tops, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, peppercorns, clove and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 hour or until the broth is reduced to about 8 cups. Strain.
• Additions for Summer Stock: summer squash, tomatoes, green beans, eggplant, bell peppers, corn cobs, marjoram, oregano, basil.
• Instead of first roasting vegetables, saute them over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables begin to brown. Complete recipe as above.
• Additions for Winter Stock: celery root, parsley root, dried sage, mushrooms (both dried or 1 pound fresh).

Steps:

• Reserve any parts that you are trimming off or peeling away (including tops, bottoms, skins, and stems) from the vegetables and herbs suggested above. (Avoid scraps from vegetables like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, or cauliflower, as their strong flavors can overpower your stock.) Place the scraps in a one-gallon airtight storage container, and keep them in the freezer for up to six months. You can add many other vegetable and herb scraps, including corn cobs, winter squash, zucchini, summer squash, beet greens, fennel fronds, chard stems, lettuce, parsnips, green beans, pea pods, bell peppers, eggplant, asparagus, and herbs like dill, thyme, parsley, cilantro, and basil.
• Keep adding scraps until the storage container is full.
• Transfer the contents of the container into a large pot and fill three-quarters of the pot (or until the scraps just start to float) with water.
• Bring water to a boil and then let it simmer for 30 minutes.
• Using a sieve, strain the stock to remove the solids. Let stock cool completely.
• Stock can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Tip everything into a large saucepan with a pinch of salt then cover with 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours. Pass through a sieve and use for your intended recipe. Will keep in the fridge for a week and for six months in the freezer.

Steps:

• Remove the tops/bottoms/skins/stems from any vegetables you are preparing (avoid vegetables like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, or cauliflower as they will add a bitter taste to your stock) and place them in a ziplock bag - they can stay frozen up to 6 months.
• Note: You can add many other vegetable scraps (think sweet!) - i.e. corn cobs, winter squash, zucchini, and other squash, beet greens, fennel, chard, lettuce, parsnips, green beans, pea pods, bell peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, asparagus, and herbs like dill, thyme, parsley, cilantro, and basil.
• Continue like this until bag is full.
• Dump bag into pot and fill ¾ of the pot (or until scraps just start to float) with water.
• Bring water to a boil and then let it simmer for at least 30 minutes.
• Strain water out of stock.
• Refrigerate stock up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
• Enjoy!