Vegetable Stock

Vegetable stock is quick and easy to prepare (really) and will infinitely improve any risotto, sauce or soup. Make bulk and freeze it for later. Most vegetables will work though apparently cabbage and broccoli can overpower the flavour. You don't need to use new vegetables as in this recipe - the potato & carrot peelings from last night's meal and the dregs of the fridge will usually work just fine. The solids are discarded anyway, it's the flavour we want.

Prep time: 1 hr max, most of that is waiting for it to simmer on the stove so minimal effort required.

Ingredients

This is what I use, substitute freely and find what you like.

• 1 potato, diced (or just potato peelings - I discarded the "core")
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 1 leek
• 1 carrot, diced (quite potent, I found two too much)
• 2 sticks celery, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• a dozen whole black pepper corns
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 small tomatoes
• 1 apple, diced
• bunch of parsley or other herbs

Plus: One large pot, a vege knife and a sieve

Preparation

Chop the onion, leek and celery. Put the pot on a medium heat and add those veges with a drop of oil to let them soften and brown a little. Meanwhile, chop the rest of the veges.

After a few minutes, the onion and leek will be just beginning to brown in spots. Add remaining ingredients, top up the pot with water and turn the heat up to high.

Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and leave for 20 minutes. Pass liquid through a seive into containers. Be careful as the liquid (and the containers) will be scolding hot.

At this point, I put the solids back in the pot, fill it up with water and boil it again then mix that stock with the first to really get the most out of the ingredients and mellow the concentration a little. Whether you bother with that probably depends on how much you want to make and how big your pot is.

The stock should be OK in the fridge or will freeze indefinitely.