Vegetable Stock

Makes 6 cups

This simple stock can be kept on hand in the refrigerator for 4 - 5 days or made in larger quantities and frozen. When making stock from scratch, try substituting different vegetables such as tomatoes, fennel, leeks, or herbs such as basil, rosemary and coriander. Avoid the cabbage family of vegetables in your stock as their taste and odor are overpowering.

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• ¼ cup parsley leaves and stems
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 10 peppercorns, crushed
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 whole cloves

Steps

1. Place everything in a large pot; bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
2. Strain through colander or sieve, discard vegetables and let stock cool before refrigerating or freezing.