Ingredients
- 2 medium onions About 300 g, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 medium carrots About 300 g, washed and roughly chopped
- 3 stalks celery About 180 g, washed and roughly chopped
- 6 oz cremini mushrooms 170 g, cleaned and halved
- 4 cloves garlic Peeled, about 12 g
- 6 sprigs parsley Washed, about 10 g
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 10 cups water 2.4 liters, plus a little if needed to adjust final yield
Equipment
- 6-quart stockpot
- Knife and cutting board
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Large heatproof bowl
- Ladle and measuring jug
- Shallow refrigerator or freezer containers
Instructions
- Wash the carrots, celery and parsley. Clean the mushrooms and peel the onions and garlic. Cut the onions, carrots and celery into rough 1-inch pieces and halve the mushrooms.
- Put all vegetables, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns into a 6-quart stockpot. Add the 10 cups water. Bring just to a simmer, then lower the heat.
- Simmer gently, partly covered, for 45 to 60 minutes until the liquid tastes pleasantly savory. Avoid a fierce boil.
- Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a large heatproof bowl; discard the strained solids. Measure the liquid and add fresh water if needed to make 8 cups (about 1.9 liters), or reduce a small excess briefly. Leave unsalted for flexible cooking.
- Divide into shallow clean containers. An ice-water bath can speed cooling. Refrigerate promptly, within two hours, at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within three to four days, or freeze measured portions. Reheat refrigerated stock to a rolling boil when serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup of strained stock, approximate reference estimateCalories: 12kcalCarbohydrates: 2.5gProtein: 0.5gFat: 0.1gSodium: 30mg
Video
Notes
Yield: Adjust the strained liquid to eight cups; evaporation and liquid retained by the vegetables vary.
Storage: Cool promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours. Use within three to four days or freeze. This recipe is not a home-canning process.
Nutrition: Approximate plain-vegetable-broth reference estimate; the amount extracted from these vegetables has not been measured. Values do not count all discarded vegetable solids and can vary considerably.
Cost: Illustrative US$4.80: onions US$0.70, carrots US$0.65, celery US$0.55, mushrooms US$2.10, garlic US$0.25 and herbs/spice US$0.55.
Video: The Cooking Foodie demonstrates a related method. The video sautés some vegetables in oil, includes thyme and salt and uses a longer simmer. This version adds mushrooms, omits oil and salt, and gently simmers all ingredients directly in water.
