Vegetable Stock

So, I'm really into making soup.  This week, I made curried corn chowder.  I have been meaning to try making my own vegetable stock, and I finally got around to it.

The entire process of making 6 cups of stock took about 3 hours.  I have not yet decided if it was worth my time, but I am a bit of a "quality control" freak, so I appreciated having control over what went in it.  (all organic veggies, low sodium)

If you are using store bought broth, make sure that it does not have MSG, Monosodium Glutamate, listed in the ingredients.  You often find msg in canned broths or cubes.

You can pretty much use scraps (carrot peels, celery leaves, ends of leeks) to flavor your stock.  Just be cautious of veggies with strong flavors.  Those strong flavors could overwhelm the stock (cabbage, eggplant).

Vegetable Stock-Recipe
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 big yellow onion, chopped
1 leek, root and dark green tops removed, chopped
1 big potato, peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
8 cups water
1 bunch fresh italian parsley
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)

1. Saute the vegetables in the butter and olive oil in a large soup pot over high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pot and burning.  After 5-10 minutes, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the onions are tender and translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Return the heat to high.  Add the water, parsley, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer until the water no longer tastes like water, but tastes like broth, at least 2 hours.  Pour the stock through a colander and use right away, or cool it to room temperature before putting in the refrigerator or freezer.