Easy Homemade Vegetable Broth
wonderful broth, easy to prepare and uses the discards of vegetables you cook with!
. . .
use to season soups, stews and sauces - believe me, you'll be glad you prepared it!
It takes some time to get in the habit of collecting the discards of the vegetables you cook with, but believe me, it's totally worth it!
I find it easiest to collect the discards in a bag that I keep in the freezer. Depending on what and how much I cook, I prepare the broth every week or every other week. During that time I simply fill the bag with more discards and place it back in the freezer.
Vegetable discards to USE :
carrots
onions
celery root
celery stalks
dill and parsley
red, green, yellow peppers
Vegetable discards to AVOID using:
potatoes
eggplant
zucchini
all kinds of cruciferous - broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc.
preparation details
For the broth I use the widest pot I have - simply place the contents of the freezer bag into it and fill it with water. I find it most convenient to boil the broth in the evening and leave it overnight to cool. In the morning, strain it and distribute it among jars for the refrigerator and containers for the freezer.
And because I try to collect every possible drop of broth, I take a colander and squeeze/ mash the well-cooked vegetables by hand so that what I am left with is this almost-dry mush. I also find that all the mashing and squeezing has an incredibly calming effect :) Another way to do this is by using a fine mesh bag jelly bag, I just didn’t have one handy.
I keep at least two jars of vegetable broth in the refrigerator, and keep the rest stored in the freezer - I find using 1 or 2-cup containers best for that use.
Uses for the broth (I use mine almost daily):
for deglazing when cooking (because I cook mostly without oil)
for soups and stews - such as this Hearty Bean & Kale Stew, or this Oil-Free Lentil & Spinach Stew, and even in this Cauliflower & Celeriac Soup
for pasta sauces
to cook rice
This broth is the perfect way to add more flavor to the dishes you prepare without extra salt or fat. It also uses ingredients that would end up in the trash anyway (unless you compost, of course :)).
recipe
Homemade Vegetable Broth
A wonderful broth, easy to prepare that uses the discards of vegetables you cook with! Use for seasoning soups, stews, sauces and deglazing - believe me, you will be glad you prepared it!
Author: The Kitchen Plot
Cook Time: 30 min.
Total Time: 30 min.
Serves: 12 cups
Perfect for: soups, stews, sauces, deglazing
Keeps for: in refrigerator - 1 week
in freezer - 1 month
Ingredients:
Discards from any or all of the following vegetables:
carrots
onions
celery root
celery stalks
dill
parsley
red, green, yellow peppers
12 cups water
Method:
* I find it easiest to keep all of the vegetable discards in a bag in the freezer and simply use when needed.
Place the discards in a saucepan, fill with water and put over high heat until it comes to a boil. After that, reduce the heat and let cook for 30 minutes, then allow to cool completely.
When the broth has cooled completely, strain through a colander. Divide the broth between jars for the refrigerator (according to your needs) and freeze the rest.
Keeps for 1 week in the refrigerator or for a month in the freezer.
I hope you find this vegetable broth as useful as I do!