Scrappy Vegetable Broth
Look in my freezer at any given time and I guarantee you’ll find these three items: unsalted butter, bone broth, and vegetable broth. Vegetable broth is a versatile addition to your arsenal of ingredients and it is easy to make. Here are a few ways you can use vegetable broth to level up your everyday meals:
Use it in place of water for rice & couscous
Use it as a braising liquid for vegetables and meat
Use it as a base for sauces and gravy
Heat it up and sip it whenever you’re feeling sick or just in the mood for broth.
Make soup of all kinds with it
Whenever I cook with vegetables, I save the scraps and keep them in a bag in my freezer. When I have a good amount, I use them to make my vegetable broth to freeze or use it right then and there. It’s a great way to get a second life out of those scraps that would normally be thrown out. See below for my vegetable broth recipe!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
3 cups vegetable scraps (trimmings from carrots, celery, onion, fennel, potatoes, etc.)
Avoid adding scraps from kale, collard greens or citrus as that will make your broth bitter.
Herb stems (parsley, cilantro, rosemary, etc.)
2 cloves garlic, smashed and with the peel on
Aromatics like peppercorn and bay leaves.
1 tsp of salt
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
Place the vegetable trimmings in a large stock pot. Fill the pot just above the trimmings with cold water and add crushed garlic cloves (skins and all) and aromatics.
Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about an hour.
Place a large strainer over a bowl and pour the contents of the pot through. Press on the solids to squeeze out any extra liquid. Compost the solids. Wait to cool then put away in jars or reusable containers.
Broth will last a week, refrigerated or about three months frozen.
