3 leeks or two medium onions |
2 carrots |
2 large mushrooms |
2 sticks of celery |
Quarter of a swede |
2 turnips |
2 courgettes |
3 teaspoons of mixed dried herbs or a large handful of mixed fresh herbs |
Salt and pepper to taste. Lots of pepper and we suggest two level teaspoons of salt. |
Wash all the ingredients, top and tail the carrots, courgette, swede, turnips, celery and leeks.
Cut all the vegetables into chunks (see picture below)
Stock is the base for a huge number of soups and other dishes but most recipes simply state that an amount of vegetable or chicken stock is required. Yes, it is far quicker to add a couple of stock cubes to boiling water but you will be very pleased with the superior results when you make your own stock. Click here for our critique of stock cubes and then come back to make your own homemade stock!
Our recipe below really was made from excess vegetables we had in our refrigerator. Granted, our fridges are fuller than most because we are a cookery website. However, the principles remain exactly the same for all vegetable stocks. If you don't have the same vegetables for your stock just use what you have. Remember though that potatoes are not ideal for a stock because they will thicken it up considerably. One vegetable(s) we do consider essential for a food soup is either onions or leeks. Both do equally well and they add a unique flavour which other vegetables do not.
The amounts are not crucial either. The more vegetables you include the stronger the stock will taste, but a weaker stock is still far superior to one made using stock cubes. Don't stick to just vegetables if you want to add your signature to the stock. Try a couple of dashes of Lea and Perrins or a teaspoon of marmite. The possibilities are endless.
This recipe is for a vegetable stock but if you intend to make chicken, turkey, beef or other meat stock simply chop the carcass / meat into small portions and use less vegetables. The other preparation and cooking instructions remain exactly the same.
To make life easy we strongly suggest that you make a large amount of this stock and freeze some for later use. Stock freezes perfectly and is is then ready for immediate use.
Recipe by David Marks.
Place the vegetables in the pan and pour over 3 litres of freshly boiled water. Bring the mixture to a boil then turn down the heat and let the stock simmer for 1 hour 45 minutes.
Let the stock cool for half an hour then pass it all through a sieve so that the stock is free of solids. Pour into containers and let them cool for another hour and a half. Place in the freezer for use whenever required.