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  • Vegetable scraps and leftovers
     

  • Water
     

  • Seasoning
     

  • Bouquet Garni

Shopping list:

Makes several litres of vegetable stock.

 

Contains no lactose and is glutenfree.

Vegetable Stock

I’m a staunch supporter of minimizing waste of food we use. Our grandparents knew as no other how to use each part of the animal or vegetable to their advantage. Of course they did, since food didn’t come as easy to them as it comes to us.
 

It’s a skill we seem to have lost. We are very quick to discard the ‘icky bits’ and only want the premium cuts. That very skill fascinates me a lot and I try to put its’ practice back into use whenever I can.

An easy and clever way to use those ‘icky bits’ or use the vegetable waste you have, is making your own stock (or broth if you prefer). Not only can you control the flavour much better, you can also control the ingredients: less salt, no gluten…you simply cater it to your needs.

 


 

Stock, or broth if you wish, is a key ingredient that can be used as a base for soups, pasta, sauces and stews. You should always have some handy and with this recipe, you can. Vegetable scraps and peels make a great broth. When you are cleaning and preparing your vegetables, put those aside instead of throwing them on the compost heap right away.

If you don’t have enough scraps after one meal, why not store them temporarily in a plastic container or zipper bag in your fridge? That way, you can save up on scraps.

Let’s start with a simple vegetable stock:

 

To make your stock, put all your vegetable scraps in a large pot, usually the one you use to make soup and add water until they are submerged. Add your own favourite seasonings: pepper, salt, chilli, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, garlic cloves, … You can make a bouqeut garni if you want.

Now bring it to boil and then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Leave it be for about an hour. Strain the vegetables out and you’ll be left with a great vegetable stock. Taste and season to your own desire. Use it right away, or freeze it for later use.

 

Want to make chicken stock instead? Easy, it's the exact same process as vegetable stock, but you add the chicken carcass and leftovers as well.

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