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This Vegetable Stock Recipe is easy to make and full of flavor. I used to wonder, besides vegetarians, who would you need to make a meat free vegetable broth recipe? Let me tell you!
Why make Vegetarian Broth?
It's especially helpful if you need to eat vegetarian foods while observing Lent, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, or even sometimes plain old every single Fridays (according to your faith). Perhaps you want to start cutting out fats from your diet, and a healthy diet including this Vegetable Stock Recipe might help lower your cholesterol. Maybe you don't like the modern farming practises, and can't make yourself handle soup bones to make bone broth. Or just because you have a lot of vegetables in your garden like I do!
Maybe it's just cheaper? Have you seen the price of soup bones at Coles Supermarket? $8/kg is daylight robbery! There are plenty of reasons to make a rich and tasty Vegetable Stock, and not lose out on the flavor.
I love making soups, they are incredibly healthy and full of nutrients and vitamins. But don't spend your time buying Vegetable Stock, this recipe is so easy to make, plus there aren't any unpronounceable ingredients. (Next time you are in store, read the labels of your store bought broth and stocks).
You don't need to peel the carrots, just wash and cut. For a deeper, richer color or stock, leave the clean onion peels on the onions. This adds a nice color to the stock. What vegetables to avoid to put in your stock? Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage and Brussel Sprouts. Their flavors are too strong and can make the stock bitter.
To get the full flavor from your soup stock, I suggest simmering for at least 2 hours. You could add some diced tomatoes, but I want my Vegetable Broth to have a general vegetable flavor, and I find tomatoes slightly change that. Tomatoes are better added when making the soup, like when making Homemade Minestrone.
What Vegetable Stock is Vegan?
In researching vegetable stocks and broths, I've discovered some people don't eat mushrooms in soups (or any mushrooms at all), as they view it as murder. Mushrooms aren't considered a plant or animal, but a fungus, and therefore are closer related to animals than plants. So some vegans believe that killing mushrooms for food amounts to murder. That's my simplistic understanding of a vegan viewpoint, as I don't want to hijack this great tasting Vegetable Stock recipe with an ethics debate. So for a vegan vegetable stock, leave out the mushrooms!
Mushrooms can be optional. With all soups, feel free to add or delete what's in your garden. More carrots or less, no sage or no oregano, it's all fine, fill the pot with these veggies and herbs. The salty seasonings gets added when you are finished making the vegetable stock or when you are seasoning the soup. You can season to taste if you can't wait. As long as you know why you are making vegetable stock, nobody will get hurt or offended.
If vegetarian stock isn't for you, feel free to try my Instant Pot Beef Broth if you want to make a bone broth. Go forth, make stock and eat soup. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Ingredients
- 2 large onions quartered
- 3 celery stalks leaves attached, roughly chopped
- 3 carrots unpeeled, chopped into thirds
- handful mushrooms skip for vegan
- 4-5 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- Few sprigs of fresh herbs - thyme parsley, oregano, sage, garlic chives...
Instructions
- Place soup pot on the stove. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, peppercorns, and the herbs to the pot and bring to a boil.
- When it reaches the boil, simmer on low with a semi-covered lid for 2 hours. (the longer the better)
- Strain the soup into a colander over a large bowl to remove the vegetables.
- Using a cheesecloth (muslin), strain the soup again to remove the small impurities to make a clear broth.
- Your stock is now ready to use for your soup. Any excess stock, easily freezes for another meal.
Notes
©PetersFoodAdventures.com
