Low Fat Roasted Vegetable Stock Recipes

ROASTED-VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Cut the top off the head of garlic. Arrange the garlic, carrots, celery, onion, pepper, and tomato on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables; season with salt and pepper.
• Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven, turning every 20 minutes, until tender and browned, about 1 hour.
• Combine the water, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Squeeze the head of garlic into the stock pot, and discard the outer husk. Place the carrots, celery, onion, pepper, and tomato in the stock pot. Bring the water to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours; strain and cool.

LOW COST, LOW SALT, LOW FAT VEGETABLE BROTH

Steps:

• Cooking options: Pressure cooker, stock pot or crock pot.
• Pressure Cooker: Put all ingredients in pot. Add water to 3/4 full. Cook at 15 lb pressure for 1/2 hour or so.
• Let cool to reduce pressure.
• Pot: Add water to cover, simmer (very low) on stove for 10 hours or so.
• Crock Pot: Put everything in 6 qt crock pot. Add water to 3/4 full. Cook on low for 10 hours or so.
• The times are approximate though I like to cook it for a minimum of 8 hours unless using the pressure cooker.
• Strain: Line a colander with a clean loosely woven dish cloth and place another colander on top. (The cloth will be sandwiched between the two colanders.) Strain broth, discard the 'mash' - it has no nutrients left!
• Use in recipes calling for broth - I find that the pressure cooker broth is very concentrated and I often dilute it when I use it. Taste yours to see.
• As this broth is salt free, you will have to add salt to taste. I do not add herbs because the long cooking pretty much destroys the flavor. I add them when using the broth to suit the dish I am making, as this is more economical. Because of this, the broth may not taste that great but it will taste just fine used in cooking and for soups.
• The yield is approximate.
• Ideas:.
• Add the bottom of that celery bunch that you usually throw away. Don't forget mushroom peelings. Toss in that lettuce that didn't make it to the salad. Add that nearly empty jar of salsa for flavor. You get the idea. I sometimes include the peel of an orange or lemon - but only one as otherwise the broth is too bitter.
• I used to toss in small amounts of cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower leftovers and get away with it but stopped after one batch was dominated by a bitter cabbage flavour.

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.