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Every cook should keep vegetable broth in the freezer to use as a foundation for soups, to add flavor to grains as they cook, and as a finish for sauteed vegetables.
Cheap and easy to make, homemade broth tastes better than canned versions. The basic version here starts with carrots, onion and celery. You can add other produce on hand. It's a great way to use up tired veggies or trimmings that would otherwise be wasted.
When vegetables are losing their freshness, freeze them in large chunks in heavy plastic bags, along with ends of carrots, celery and onions. For the recipe below, start with 3 to 4 cups of frozen veggie scraps and proceed the same way.
Using the broth
Cooking vegetables with a little broth allows their flavors to come through without drowning them in sauce or using too much oil. Almost any type of vegetable — greens such as kale, crucifers such as broccoli, green beans, you name it — can be prepared this way:
Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat; lightly brush it with olive oil. Add the washed, cut vegetables and stir for a few minutes, until they begin to stick to the pan. Then add minced garlic, ginger, a fresh herb and a sprinkle of your homemade broth. Stir for a minute or two until the liquid evaporates. I like to finish with a dash of nama shoyu (unpasteurized soy sauce aged in wooden barrels) before turning off the heat.
Tips
- Avoid strong-tasting vegetables, such as those from the cabbage family, and be careful with celery and herbs. Too many can make the stock bitter.
- Keep salt to a minimum — add more when you cook with the broth.
- Pour the broth into ice-cube trays to freeze convenient small amounts for adding to recipes.
- Keeping the onion skins on will make a darker broth; omit if you want it more clear.
Basic vegetable broth
Prep: 8 minutes
Cook: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Makes: 11 cups
Note: The broth will have about 200 milligrams sodium per cup.
Ingredients:
1/2 onion, skin intact
2 ribs celery, leaves removed
1 medium carrot, cut in big hunks
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, smashed
6 sprigs fresh thyme
6 leaves fresh sage
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sea salt
Place all ingredients into large soup pot. Cover with water, about 12 cups. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to a bare simmer; cover. Cook, 1 hour. Pour through a strainer into a very large bowl; let cool. Package airtight in 1 or 2 cup portions for freezing.
Kay Stepkin is a vegetarian cooking class instructor and former owner of a vegetarian restaurant/whole grain bakery. Email her at foods@tribune.com