I never plan on making a stock, it just happens when I’ve accumulated enough vegetable trimmings but I always start with carrot, celery, onion, garlic, tender herbs and bay leaves. I will toss in corn cobs, parsnip, parsley stems, mushroom stems, fennel and asparagus if I have but I don’t go out of my way to get them if I don’t. Just avoid any cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli or kale which will dominate the stock with its strong off putting flavor. Also avoid strong herbs like sage, rosemary or too much marjoram. If you sauté the aromatics beforehand especially mushrooms and stems, the stock will be richer and more robust but better suited for heartier recipes.
• 3 quarts pure water
• 1 large quartered white or yellow onion
• 2 medium roughly chopped carrots
• 2 roughly chopped celery stalks
• 5 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• Handful of herbs (parsley, dill, thyme, chives, oregano, etc..)
• 4 cups any vegetable trimmings (including parsnip, corn cobs, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, scallions, etc..)
1. Toss all vegetables in a large stockpot and cover with 3 quarts of water.
2. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour, until vegetables are soft.
3. Strain through a sieve (pressing vegetables down will extract more liquid and flavor but may muddy the stock).
Yields approximately 2 quarts
