Vegetable Stock

All you need is an hour, your biggest stock or pasta pot and some vegetable trimmings to make your own vegetable stock.

Vegetable Stock
1 lb. carrots
1 lb. celery
4 or 5 cabbage leaves
asparagus ends, trimmed from one bunch
1 onion
leek trimmings

Fill pot with vegetables and add as much water as it takes to fill the pot 3/4 of the way to the top.  Bring water and vegetables to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Turn off heat and let stock cool, covered, for 30 more minutes.  Strain out and discard vegetables.  Use same day or store in fridge for up to one week.  Freeze in single serving (1 or 2 cup) containers.

It is that easy.  Use your stock as a base for soup; a cooking liquid for rice, couscous or other grains; a braise for veggies or meat; a base for a marinade...I could go on, but I'm sure you get the point.

Why make your own stock?

• It's healthier.  I didn't add any salt to my recipe.  Store-bought stock often is high in sodium.
• It's cheaper.  I save vegetable pairings in a freezer bag and use them when I am ready to make the stock.  The only thing I buy are .99 carrots and .99 celery.  I spent $2 for over 9 cups of stock, that I stored in the freezer.  This isn't counting the stock I used right away to make Potato Leek Soup.
• It's custom.  Those are the vegetables I used, but you could use any vegetables or herbs that you and your family like. Add mushrooms, take out asparagus.  Or ditch the cabbage and add basil.   Experiment with it and come up with your own Secret Stock Recipe!