Vegetable stock is a building block in many of the recipes in this book. You can buy low-sodium vegetable broth, but it’s inexpensive to make at home and you’ll know exactly what’s in it. Stock can be stored in the refrigerator for several days or kept frozen.
Makes 2 quarts.
2 quarts boiling water
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, sliced
2 leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
3 parsley sprigs, rinsed
3 thyme sprigs, rinsed, or 1 teaspoon dried
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bay leaf
1. Pour water into the slow cooker, and add carrots, celery, leeks, onion, peppercorns, parsley, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours, or until vegetables are soft.
2. Strain stock through a sieve into a mixing bowl. Press down on solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids.
3. Chill stock, and then ladle stock into containers.