Roasted Vegetable Stock |

Kaela, taking stock.

I picked up three(!) new cookbooks this weekend, while visiting Melissa & Erik down in PA. Yes, I probably need new cookbooks like I need new holes in my head, and I have no idea where I’m going to fit them (cookbook annex in the loft, perhaps?), but I couldn’t resist. They were all (all!) 50% off (such a sucker for a bargain); it was an independently-owned cooking store (the Cookery Ware Shop – why, oh why, don’t we have one of these in Westchester County?), owned & run by a Mom and her two daugthers, they were open on Easter Sunday (unlike many other of the stores in Peddler’s Village), and one of the books was by one of my favorite chef/authors, Michel Nischan. I already own, and use frequently, his Homegrown cookbook, but I had not yet picked up Taste – and here it was, and did I mention that it was 50% off? I’m just saying. The other books were The Glass Pantry, a preserving book, and The Vegetarian Table: Mexico. Stay tuned for lots more yummy recipes!

In paging through Taste, I saw two recipes for vegetable stock. Since I’ve never really met a veggie stock that wowed me, I mostly don’t make it and stick with chicken stock. But I figured, if anyone can make a good veggie stock, it is Michel Nischan, so I tried the roasted vegetable stock (yet with the veggies I had on hand, since rutabagas and turnips are not in season). The stock is definitely more delicate than chicken stock, but a beautiful, clear honey/molasses color. I haven’t made a soup with it yet; I’ll update when I do and give you the full taste verdict.

Adapted from Roasted Vegetable Stock in Taste: Pure and Simple by Michel Nischan.

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Roasted Vegetable Stock

INGREDIENTS

1 lb carrots, scrubbed but not peeled, tops trimmed
1 large green garlic stalk, root & very top trimmed, split in half and washed well
6 celery stalks (6 oz), with leaves if possible, scrubbed and trimmed
6 radishes (4 oz), scrubbed, root end trimmed, larger leaves removed
3 small yellow onions (tennis ball size, 9 oz), peeled and cut in half
about 1/3 of a large bunch of parsley, stems & leaves (3 oz), washed and any brown parts removed
about 2 quarts filtered water

METHODS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet or large roasting pan, and roast until beginning to brown slightly, about 30 minutes.
Transfer veggies to a large stockpot, one with enough room to hold the vegetables with 6 inches above them to the top of the pot. Fill to 1 inch over the veggies with filtered water. Bring to a simmer over high heat (do not boil) and simmer, partially covered, for 2 hours.
Strain stock through a fine sieve. Press on the vegetables with the back of a wooden spoon to remove all the juices. Compost the veggies and strain the stock again, through a fine sieve lined with several layers of dampened cheesecloth.
Use in your favorite soup recipe, refrigerate for up to one week or freeze for up to one month. I filtered the stock again after in sat in the refrigerator overnight, as there was some fine sediment in the bottom.

OPTIONS

I used the spring veggies on hand in my fridge. Nischan’s original recipe calls for: 8 oz rutabaga, 1 lb carrots, 8 oz turnip, 8 0z white onion and 8 oz parsley root or parsley stems. I think now that I have this recipe I will save parsley stems, in the fridge or the freezer, until I get to 1/2 lb and then make stock.

STORE

Refrigerated for 1 week, frozen for 1 month. Do not store hot stock in plastic containers; either allow to cool, or store in glass or ceramic containers.

SEASON

Vegetable stock can be made year-round, but these particular veggies are in season in Spring.