Simple vegetable stock

Simple vegetable stock

vegetable stock prepped ingredients

Years ago, I used to think that making your own stock is super time consuming and complicated and because of that I never used to bother. My first attempt did nothing to change my mind as I somehow got it into my head that all vegetables need to be cut into a very fine dice – effectively a mirepoix – which took absolute ages (and put me off even more).

I resumed my stock making attempts earlier this year and was pleasantly surprised not only at how easy it was but also at how much of a flavour booster a homemade stock can really be.

I also like the fact that when you make it yourself, you know exactly what is in it. Even though commercial stock cubes claim to contain only dehydrated stock, salt and seasoning, I am sure there is some nastiness lurking there somewhere. We live in the world where they coat lemons in the secretion of a Thai beetle (Laccifer lacca) to make them shiny… Really, who the hell asked for shiny lemons in the first place?!

To make vegetable stock, be sure to wash all the vegetables thoroughly to get rid of all the grit (and unexpected guests). Sand likes to sit between the layers of leek, in the crevice of celery stalks and other unsuspecting places. There is nothing worse than realising that you hadn’t properly cleaned the veg half way through dinner. Chop all vegetables roughly, NO FINE DICE REQUIRED, and put into a pot with spices, cover with water and simmer for at least hour. Once it has cooled, sieve it and store in the fridge – it will keep for about 3-4 days.

vegetable stock ingredients

serves
6
PREP
20 min
COOKING
90 min
serves
6
PREPARATION
20 min
COOKING
90 min
INGREDIENTS
  • 3 carrots
  • 6 celery stalks
  • ½ an onion
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed with a knife edge
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • small bunch of fresh parsley
  • 1 leek, green part
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 whole allspice berries
  • ½ tsp of peppercorns
  • water
METHOD
  1. Wash all the vegetables thoroughly
  2. Peel the onion and garlic (although if you are sure they don’t have any grit in them – you could leave the skins on) and quarter the onion. Put the garlic clove on a side and crush it with the blunt edge of your knife
  3. Chop washed carrots (no need to peel them), celery stalks and leeks very roughly
  4. Put all the ingredients into a pot and add enough water to cover all the veg in your pot. The more water you add the less intense your stock is going to be.
  5. Simmer with a lid on for 1.5 hours
  6. Let it cool, put through a sieve and pour the liquid into a jar/fridge container. Keep refrigerated.
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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
31
2%
sugars
3 g
3%
fats
0 g
0%
saturates
0 g
0%
proteins
1 g
2%
carbs
7 g
3%
*per serving
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5.0
3 reviews, 9 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Pauline:
This smells amazing whilst it's cooking. I didn't have any allspice berries but it tasted great anyway. have used this stock as the base for another soup and frozen the rest to use later.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear that you enjoyed the taste of this stock and that it made a great base for your soup, Pauline. Thank you for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it. x Ania
Kate:
Hi when you've made your stock what do you do with your veggies? Can you make more and freeze it?? 💚
    Ania
    Ania:
    I compost the veggies, but you could blend it into a veggie soup I suppose - they will bulk it up but won't contribute much flavour anymore. Yes, you can freeze it! Ania
Makenzie:
Hi, Ania.
What volume of stock does this make?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi, depending on how much water you add. Less water makes more concentrated stock that takes less time in the fridge and which you can simply dilute later. I tend to fill an entire pot. Hope that helps! Ania
Fiona Buckle:
I will definitely be giving this a go! What could I do with the veggies that are left over... should I just eat them? Do you have other suggestions for how I could use them?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Fiona,

    I'm not sure if they will be that nice to eat as all the goodness goes into the stock. I simply compost them. Ania
Lindsey:
Found this recipe on Pinterest. It was my first time making homemade stock. I collected vegetable scrapes over time, placing them in the freezer, then made the stock last week. It turned out great. I was surprised there wasn't any salt in the recipe, so I added a pinch. After sieving, I poured the liquid into my popsicle molds and froze them. I was happy to find another use for the molds. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    That's great to hear, Lindsey! Thanks for feedback :) Ania
Gloria:
This vege broth can also be frozen .... right ????
    Ania
    Ania:
    Sure thing! :) I freeze it all the time!
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