Vegetable Stock

Name: Vegetable Stock
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 onions, roughly chopped, skin on; 2 carrots, roughly chopped; 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped; 1 leek, washed and sliced; 200 g (7 oz) mushrooms, any kind, sliced; or 15 g dried shiitake; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 2½ l (10½ cups) cold water; 1 bunch parsley stems, a small handful; 4 sprigs thyme; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp black peppercorns

Sweet, savory and ready in an hour

Makes: about 2 l (8 cups)
Hands-on: 20 min
Total: 1 h 10 min
Level: Easy

Most vegetable stock tastes of boiled carrot. This one gets depth from browned onions, mushrooms and a little tomato paste, and stays fresh by cooking for under an hour.

Ingredients

2 tbspolive oil
2onionsroughly chopped, skin on
2carrotsroughly chopped
3celery stalksroughly chopped
1leekwashed and sliced
200 gmushrooms (7 oz)any kind, sliced; or 15 g dried shiitake
4 clovesgarliccrushed
1 tbsptomato paste
2½ lcold water (10½ cups)
1 bunchparsley stemsa small handful
4 sprigsthyme
2bay leaves
1 tspblack peppercorns

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free
Allergens: celery

Method

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery and leek and cook, stirring every minute or two, until the edges are golden brown, 10–12 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook 3 minutes more. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute until it darkens.
Pour in the water, add the herbs and peppercorns, and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 45 minutes. 45 min
Strain through a fine sieve, pressing lightly on the vegetables. Cool quickly and refrigerate.

Why it works

Browning the vegetables first builds savory, roasted flavor through the Maillard reaction and caramelization, so the stock tastes of more than its raw parts. Mushrooms and tomato paste are rich in glutamates, which give the meaty roundness vegetable stock usually lacks. Vegetables give up their flavor quickly; past an hour they start to taste stewed and bitter.

Common mistakes

Using cabbage, broccoli or other brassicas: they turn sulfurous. Stick to the list.
Simmering for hours: the stock grows dull and murky. 45 minutes is enough.

Variations

Corn stock: Add 4 stripped corn cobs with the water; use it for corn soups and chowders.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps 4 days in the fridge, 6 months frozen.

Notes

Save onion ends, carrot peel, mushroom stems and herb stalks in a freezer bag and use them here in place of some of the fresh vegetables.