Stock Variation

Looks like Liz beat me to a veggie stock posting. Had pictures ready to go and everything and she stole my thunder. Damn. This post is just going to be a little pattering of rain in comparison. Excuse my blabbiness in advance.

Quick Stock and Notes on Variations

Ingredients: for 8 cups stock

1 Large Onion
2 Large Carrots
2 Sticks Celery
Salt
Herbs and Spices (Garlic - 8 cloves, bouquet garni: Thyme - 6 sprigs, Parley - 8 branches, Bay leaf - 2. Others to add as they come about: Rosemary, Marjoram, Oregano, Tarragon, etc.)
Mixed Vegetable Trimmings
(Where do these come from? Don't have pounds of vegetables to go through every time you make stock? No problem...that's why freezers were invented. Through the week, as you use up your veggies for other dishes, save those trimmings that will be good for stock and shove them into an old bread bag or ziplock baggie. Stick this in the freezer and continue to fill it up as new veggie scraps come along. When its full, make a batch of stock and start over again.)

Good trimmings:
Leek Greens and Roots, leaves and stems from greens (kale, chard, broccoli rabe, beet), mushroom caps and stems, green onions, potato peelings (organic only please, conventional peelings are relatively toxic by comparison), celery root peelings, stems from old herbs (cilantro, parsley, basil), fennel (stocks and other trimmings), corn cobs, squash (skins and seeds), bell peppers, hard cheese rinds.

Bad trimmings:
Turnips and rutabagas, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower, red beets (good for borscht though), onion skins, artichoke trimmings, excessive amounts of green leaves (more than 4 cups for 8 cups water), anything that would make you sick if you ate it by itself (rotten things). These things turn bitter when boiled too long and will overpower the deep tastes we're going for.

Ok...

Saute onion, celery, and carrot in butter 5 - 10 minutes. Could add brewer's yeast at this point, which would add a "meaty" flavor to the finished stock for all you veggie eaters out there who still crave the hint of a once living animal in their dishes now and then.

Add in the trimmings and cook over medium heat for another 5 - 10 minutes.

Add the water and some salt to start out. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Unlike a meat stock, veggie stock does not benefit from extra boiling; so after 30 minutes, the veggies have given all they're going to give.

Drain through a colander or a sieve and taste for salt.

Variations on the Quick Stock:
1. Roasted Veggie stock (this is Liz's stock and it sounds amazing)
2. Dark stock (caramelize the onions before adding the celery and carrot or add about 1 Tbs. soy sauce at the end when tasting for saltiness).
3. Adding lentils, split peas, sprouted beans, bean broth, and brewer's yeast to the original stock will give it extra dimensions of deep dark earthiness...mmm.