A simple vegetable stock.
Ingredients
| Quantity | Measure | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | tbs | olive oil |
| 1 | large | yellow onion (quartered, no need to peel) |
| 1 | large | carrot (cut into 2-inch segments) |
| 5-8 | celery tops and 1 large celery rib, cut into 2-inch segments | |
| 1 | bunch | parsley |
| 1 | leek or green onion greens (if you have them) | |
| 1 | bay leaf | |
| 6-8 | litres | cold water |
| 1 | tbs | salt |
Directions
Optional: bake the vegetables in the oven to achieve browning.
Add the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, leek greens (if using), and bay leaf to the pot. Cover with 6-8 litres of cold water.
Bring to a boil on high heat and reduce to a low simmer. Let simmer at a low simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours.
Use a large metal spoons with holes in it (or a “spider ladle”) to ladle out the cooked vegetables. (These aren’t really good to eat, by the way, because after 4 hours of cooking, all of the nutritional value has been cooked out of them.) Discard.
Use a large sieve lined with dampened cheesecloth (if available) and place over a large bowl or another large pot. Pour the stock through the sieve into the bowl or pot to strain out any remaining solids.
Either pour into jars at this point, or if you want, what we like to do is to boil the stock on high heat for 1 hour, to reduce it by about half. This way you are storing concentrated stock, which takes less room in the freezer or refrigerator. When you are ready, pour into jars.
Notes
If freezing, leave at least 1-inch head space, allowing enough room for the liquid stock to expand as it freezes solid. (Otherwise, the expanding ice stock will break the jar.)
Let the stock cool in the sealed jars completely before freezing. Stock should last a week or so in the fridge, and several months in the freezer.