Bouillon de legumes

I promised to post a recipe for Vegetable Broth and here it is. Vegetable Broth is extremely versatile and great to keep in the fridge or freezer until you need it. I use it the same way I would Chicken Broth, especially when I'm making something with Fish or Vegetarian and don't want that stronger Chicken taste. If you're only going to make one Broth from scratch, I highly recommend choosing Vegetable Broth; the canned varieties are far inferior to those of Chicken Broth. Also, Vegetable Broth takes much less time to make than Chicken Broth and is a fabulous way to use up some vegetables that are past their prime. It freezes beautifully, so what I do is make a big batch, then pour it into plastic take-out containers (that we have many of since we order in Chinese soup fairly often). I freeze all but one of the containers and just make sure I always have one in the fridge.

Use this recipe as a guideline and substitute in vegetables you have hanging around your house. Just beware of using stronger-flavored ones, since that flavor will absolutely carry into your Broth. This recipe was inspired by one in The Compassionate Cook, delightfully easy Vegan cookbook. Enjoy!

Bouillon de legumes

• 2 stalks Parsley
• Pinch Herbes de Provence
• Dash Smoked Paprika
• Smidgen Black Pepper
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Carrots, roughly sliced
• 2 stalks Celery, roughly sliced
• 2 Yellow Onions, roughly sliced
• 2 Russet Potatoes, roughly quartered
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, or to taste
• 8-12 cups Water
  

Place everything into a stockpot. Add enough Water to cover (this will depend partly on how big your stockpot is). Uncovered, bring to a boil over high flame. Lower to a medium-low flame, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

When ready, strain the Broth. I found the easiest way to do this was to put a very large mixing bowl underneath my colander in the sink and carefully pour the Broth through the colander. Empty the solids out of the colander as often as necessary. If your bowl is not large enough, strain in batches. Freeze or refrigerate until ready to use.