Rich Brown Vegetable Stock Recipes

RICH VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• I have no idea how much your veggie trimmings will weigh, but I thought it best to put some sort of approximate amount in the list of ingredients. Basically, I just fill a gallon baggie and use that and the weight of the baggie just depends on what kinds of trimmings I've put in during the week.
• I keep a gallon freezer baggie in the freezer and dump my veggie trimmings in it after each meal I cook. In no time at all, maybe a week or two, the bag is full and ready to use for making stock.
• Empty the gallon baggie of veggie trimmings into a large stew pot or stock pot, along with the bay leaf and peppercorns. Add 8 cups of water and see where your water level is. Remember it. This is the point where you will refill after reducing. Go ahead and add the other 4 cups of water and the salt. Resist the urge to stir!
• Bring to a nice simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to maintain the simmer.
• Never ever stir! You can use the back of a wooden spoon to gently push the veggies down into the liquid every now and then, but don't stir. If you do, your stock will come out cloudy. By resisting the urge to stir, your stock will be crystal clear and beautiful. If it does cloud up, it's still good, just not nearly as pretty.
• When the liquid has reduced by 4 cups, add another 4 cups of water and continue to simmer. Do this 2 more times, for a total of 3 times. You are essentially reducing the water 100% by reducing by a third three times.
• After the final reduction, remove from heat and strain through a colander. Squeeze all of the stock out of the veggies, then discard the veggies.
• Strain the stock through a sieve, and then strain again through a fine mesh. I use a permanent coffee filter for this step.
• At this point, I pour the stock off into plastic cups in 8 ounce portions. Let cool completely at room temperature, then freeze. Cooling your stock off too quickly results in clouding.
• When the stock is frozen, I pop each stock "cube" out of its cup, wrap it in parchment or wax paper, and put all the stock into a big gallon freezer bag.
• To reconstitute, melt an 8 ounce portion of the frozen stock, add an equal amount of water and a teaspoon of salt. Stir well to dissolve the salt. The stock will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
• I use this stock for rice, soups, sauces, etc. If the recipe calls for water and it's a savory dish, I use stock instead. It can also be substituted for chicken stock in most cases.
• This recipe makes 8 cups of stock and dilutes to 16 cups.
• Don't worry if you're not a big veggie eater. I live alone and cook for 1, and I don't eat as many veggies as I should, and still I have enough trimmings to make stock every 7 to 14 days. My bags are usually full of onion and garlic skins, onion ends, pepper ends and seeds and membranes, celery ends, cucumber ends and peels, salad trimmings, and herb stems. The stock is fantastic! If you throw in some red onion skin, your stock will be a lovely mahogany color.

RICH BROWN VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Saute leeks, carrots, celery, potato and garlic until slightly browned.
• Add 5 cups water and remaining ingredients.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for one hour.
• Strain and cool; can easily be frozen and recipe is easily doubled.

ULTIMATE BROWNED VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F Spray and 11 X 13-inch backing pan with cooking spray.
• Place the onions, carrots, celery, beets and garlic in the pan. Drizzle with the oil and toss to coat the vegetables. Pour over the soy sauce and bake until the vegetables are deeply browned, almost burnt-looking, about 1 hour.
• Transfer the vegetables to a large heavy soup pot. Add 5 cups of the water and the remaining ingredients.
• Pour the remaining 2 cups of water into the baking pan, and using the blade since of a spatula, scrape up all those wonderful browned, caramelized bits on the bottom. Add this to the soup pot.
• Bring the water to a boil, and then turn down the heat and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes. Cool slightly and strain.

BASIC BROWN STOCK

Steps:

• Roast the bones in a 400 degree F oven for about 2 hours, watch so they don't burn, just want them toasty brown not blackened.
• Put bones in soup pot.
• Add 1 quart of water for each pound of bones.
• For 5 pounds add 1 bunch of carrots, 1 head celery, and 3 yellow onions.
• Bring the stock to a heavy simmer, uncovered, and cook for 12 hours.
• Add water if needed.
• DO NOT ADD SALT!
• Strain the stock and store in fridge.
• A layer of fat will form on top.
• Leave this in place to help seal the stock from air until ready to use.
• This stock will be gelatinous.
• If not using all in several days, I place some in vaccum bags and seal for freezing.

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.

RICH VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.
• Toss vegetables, garlic, and herbs with oil in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until golden, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners over medium heat. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute.
• Transfer vegetables with juices to a 4-quart pot. Add water, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon salt and simmer, covered, 45 minutes. Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing 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.