Home-made vegetable stock

Easy Food Recipes and Cooking -Home-made vegetable stock

Makes 2 litres
1 tbsp olive oil, for cooking
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped (not peeled)
2 medium carrots, sliced (not peeled)
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed with the flat of a knife blade
2 tsp fine sea salt
6 black peppercorns, crushed with the flat of a knife blade
1 prune or 1 tbsp tomato paste
2 whole cloves
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
a few sprigs of thyme, fresh or dried
1 sprig of rosemary, fresh or dried
a splash of vegetarian dry white
wine (optional)

Home-made vegetable stock

1. Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and salt, and
cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until lightly coloured. Add the rest of the ingredients and 2 litres
cold water.

2. Cover, bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. (If you have a pressure cooker, cook for 15 minutes
from the point of pressure.) Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and use a ladle to transfer the
vegetables and stock into the sieve.

3. Let the solids drain completely without pressing. Use the stock right away or let cool completely
before refrigerating or freezing in airtight containers.