Basic Recipe Roasted Vegetable Stock

BASIC VEGETABLE STOCK

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?

ROASTED VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°F.
• Toss the vegetables with the olive oil, until gently coated.
• Place the vegetables in a roasting pan or on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast for about half an hour, turning them occasionally (They should be nicely browned and very aromatic).
• Place all the vegetables in a large pot, scraping all the good brown stuff from the roasting pan into the pot with the herbs and peppercorns.
• Fill with water and place on the stovetop on medium high heat.
• Bring to a boil, lower the temperature, and boil gently for 2-3 hours (watch the water level--if it boils down too much, add more water).
• Strain, pressing down on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids and place the remaining liquid in a sauce pan.
• Simmer until reduced by three quarters; this could take about an hour.
• You should end up with about one and a half to two quarts of stock.

BASIC RECIPE: ROASTED VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, carrot and garlic, and any other vegetables, in a roasting pan. Drizzle with the grapeseed oil and toss to coat the vegetables. Place in the oven, uncovered, and roast for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch the vegetables so they don't char (the leek greens will be especially vulnerable.) You are looking for browning and caramelization, not burnt. If some of the vegetables start to char before the others are done, remove them from the roasting pan.
• When the vegetables are done, remove from oven and scrape into a 4-quart sauce pan or Dutch oven. Place the roasting pan over a burner (or two, depending on the size of your pan) and add the wine. Bring to a simmer and deglaze the pan, scraping up any stuck bits. Empty the contents of the roasting pan into the pot with the vegetables and add 6 cups of water, the bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 1/2 hour or so.
• Strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve and use as needed.

BASIC VEGETABLE STOCK

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).

ROASTED VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Spread the carrots, celery, tomatoes, turnips, onions, and leek out on a baking sheet with sides.
• Scatter the garlic cloves over the top.
• Sprinkle veggies with thyme; drizzle with the oil.
• Roast vegetables for 1 hour or until well browned. Stir once or twice.
• Transfer vegetables to a large soup pot.
• Deglaze baking pan with a little hot water; add liquid to the roasted vegetables.
• Cover vegetables with water; add bay leaf.
• Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
• Cool and strain.
• Freeze in quantities desired in plastic containers or zipper freezer bags. Freeze some broth in ice cube trays to use for deglazing pans and adding flavor to gravies, soups, and sauces.

ROASTED VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
• Toss together mushrooms, shallots, carrots, bell pepper, garlic, parsley and thyme sprigs, and oil in a flameproof roasting pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Transfer vegetables with a slotted spoon to a 4-quart saucepan. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze pan by boiling over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to saucepan and add bay leaf, tomatoes, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Pour stock through a large fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on and then discarding solids.

ROASTED VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
• Toss together mushrooms, shallots, carrots, bell pepper, garlic, parsley and thyme sprigs, and oil in a flameproof roasting pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Transfer vegetables with a slotted spoon to a 4-quart saucepan. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze pan by boiling over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to saucepan and add bay leaf, tomatoes, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Pour stock through a large fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on and then discarding solids.

ROASTED-VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°. Grease jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 x10 1/2 x1 inch. Spread vegetables, onions and garlic in pan. Bake uncovered 45 to 60 minutes or until vegetables are deep golden brown and tender.
• Remove vegetables from pan; place in 4-quart Dutch oven. Pour 1/2 cup of the cold water in pan. Scrape pan to remove browned particles; add water and particles to vegetables.
• Heat vegetables, remaining cold water and remaining ingredients to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Cool broth slightly; strain broth. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days or seal tightly and freeze up to 3 months. Stir before using.