Comments on: Vegetable Stock

By: Barb

Barb — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 03:53:03 +0000

Thank you so much for posting this. I was always intrigued by a recipe in Isabel Allende’s book, Aphrodite, but she neglected to say how much water to use. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so concerned. But I like the idea of having homemade stock on hand–the boxed or canned stuff just tastes funny.

By: Manu

Manu — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:21:31 +0000

This is a Great Recipe! As I am living in India, my stock had a lot more Indian flavor to it. I love using fresh mint leaves and curry leaves in my dishes. It added an additional interesting flavor. Before beginning the process, I sauteed the onions, garlic, ginger, and dried whole spices and fresh herba a little before I added the veggies and the water. It gave the stock a deep rich flavor to it.

Also, I found a good way to utilise the strained veggies! I coarsely minced them in the food processor and made cutlets out of them after adding a couple of flavourings. I kept some of this minced and flavored veggie in the fridge to make stuffed Parathas (Indian Tortillas made of whole wheat dough that is rolled out into tortillas and stuffed with any mixture, then rolled out again very gently and shallow fried in a big shallow saucepan).
trust me….my family loved the parathas too…and couldnt at all guess what they were made of!!

By: Ellis

Ellis — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:09:56 +0000

thank you so very much andrea! i really loved your idea since it was really simple and it turned out ot be fine! again thank you!

By: Andrea

Andrea — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 22:44:41 +0000

Thanks for asking, Donna. Apple and pear add a slight touch of sweetness which is really nice in some soups, such as pumpkin or squash.

By: Donna Gentle

Donna Gentle — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 22:38:19 +0000

I would like to know why one would add apples or pears to a Stock. Could you please tell me the reason.

Thank you

By: De in D.C.

De in D.C. — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:02:22 +0000

I just started checking out your food blog, and I like what I see! I wanted to comment on making veggie broth. A couple months ago, I started saving all of my vegetable scraps (onion ends, carrot and potato peelings, etc) and freezing them together. Then I’ll use those as the basis for making stock along with some dried mushrooms and spices. I used to just add everything to the compost pile, but feel that I’m getting even more bang for my buck this way. The batches do vary, but I tend to cook a large variety of vegetables, so no one flavor is overpowering. Except maybe carrot… heh.

By: Vegeyum

Vegeyum — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 08:28:14 +0000

What a great post. I love making vege stocks, and will make Asian inspired ones and Indian inspired ones as well. Keeping them in the freezer is just the thing for soups, risottos and paellas. I have never thought of using apple before. Must try it.

By: Gift of Green

Gift of Green — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 01:54:16 +0000

Thanks for the detailed instructions. I think even a non-cook like me could do this!

By: Pille

Pille — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 16:07:09 +0000

Andrea - thank you for your WHB entry! I’ve only recently started making my own stock, and there really is such a flavour difference. This is very helpful.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 16:27:56 +0000

Thanks everyone!! I just realized that I forgot to add ginger slices in the Other Ingredients list, which makes a nice addition for an Asian-flavored stock.

Cris: You crack me up! Chef Gray’s stock was very clear, like a white wine, so I would have to leave out a few ingredients to achieve that. But it was tasty in that risotto… Yum!