This recipe is a general guide, as you can make stock from any vegetables you have at hand. Root vegetables make a good starting point, but avoid using too much of one type as it will dominate the flavor. Salt isn’ t added to the stock, as you will probably be using the stock in another recipe, and a salt-less stock will enable you to control how salty the final dish is.
Makes: 7½ cups Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 turnip, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
6 parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 small handful of thyme sprigs
½ teaspoon peppercorns
1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook 10 minutes, part-covered, and stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the garlic, parsley, bay leaves, thyme and peppercorns.
2. Pour in 7½ cups water and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer over low heat 1 hour. Strain the stock, discard the solids and let cool. Keep in the refrigerator up to 1 week or freeze in portions.