I was amazed at how much I missed chicken stock, especially when making the soups and sauces that so often use it. I've found that store-bought vegetable stock just isn't rich enough--or, worse, it's too sweet--to be a replacement and so devised my own. Making stock is a great way to experiment--feel free to alter this recipe until you've found the variation that best suits your own tastes.
If you're making this as a substitution for beef broth, use dry red wine instead of white and add another cup of mushrooms.
Makes 8 cups.
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 leeks
• 2 medium onions, quartered
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped and seeded
• 1 head of garlic
• 3 shallots, halved
• 2 cups crimini mushrooms
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 teaspoons black pepper, preferably whole peppercorns
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
Preheat the oven for 450°F. Spread the vegetables onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle the thyme and black pepper then use a brush or your hands to lightly coat the vegetables with olive oil. Cook for 45 minutes, turning once or twice.
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a large pot. Add 12 cups water, the wine, and the bay leaf. Simmer for 45 minutes. Strain the broth, discarding the vegetables. Refrigerate for up to two days or freeze.
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Max Fisher
Max Fisher writes for the Atlantic Wire. He is the former producer of the Atlantic's Food Channel and has also written for The New Republic and Condé Nast Traveler.
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This is a very poorly written recipe.
1) There is no reason to chop thyme sprigs in this application. The head of garlic SHOULD be chopped, in half.
2) "Sprinkle the thyme and black pepper..." Sprinkle them WHERE? On WHAT?
3) "lightly coat the vegetable with olive oil". Which vegetable? Why not all of them?
Did anyone even read this before posting it to the web?
ScottR,
Maybe you can get your money back.
Gee Scott, Maybe you should stay out of the kitchen. Did you put the thyme and black pepper in your pipe and smoke it?
It just seems so expensive. Organic Criminis are $5 a lb., The leeks are $5 a bunch, the shallots are another $3, the red pepper another 3-5 bucks -- I wouldn't be surprised if it cost me $20 bucks, which seems like a lot to make broth.