as the weather gets cooler
we begin to think of hot and hardy soups
I prefer to make my own stocks
to control the amount of added sodium
in making a vegetable stock
one needs to collect as many different
root vegetables
carrots, rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, onions,
celery root, yellow beets, come to mind
celery or leeks are a plus
to this I add an assortment of whole spices
like cloves, coriander, celery, and mustard seeds
bay leaves all spice, whole black pepper
I try to get some celery flavor in the stock,
but don’t usually use more than one source at a time
simmer all of this in enough water to cover
for about 8 hours
cool and strain
press veggies to get as much liquid out as possible
this does not give you a clear broth, but it is healthier
toss veggies, the good parts are in the stock
use this stock to make a creamy squash soup
with a hint of hot peppers
bake and puree squash in a blender with the broth
add cayenne to taste and a bit of cream, sweet or sour
curried carrots are another option
© 2010 Sandy Vrooman
A good stock is the mother of all feasts. This one sounds great. I'll try it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo. The stock sounds wonderful. I, too, am a fan of rich stocks and given to experimenting. Must try this one.
ReplyDeleteI took a large package of assorted dried gourmet mushrooms, put them in batches in the spice grinder, and ground them down to just above a powder. Tbsp. of this also go into my stocks and soup. Love the dried shiitake shrooms. As they're dried, always have a supply on hand.
Love this blog.
That photo of the veggies is gorgeous! Like a painting that makes you want to eat healthy food! Robin
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