Making Soup Stock from Scratch

You’ve probably noticed that each of the 15 minute soup ideas presented this week called for 32 oz. of vegetable or chicken stock. So, I got to wondering how in the world does one make vegetable stock?

After some research I found an easy answer that will help make your soups delicious and nutritious.

Tools:

• Pressure Cooker (takes 10 minutes to prepare at high pressure)
• Standard stove top stock pot (takes 60 to 90 minutes)

Take Your Pick Ingredients for Vegetable Stock:

• Asparagus and broccoli stalks
• Bay leaf or a few pinches of dried herbs
• Celery, parsnip and carrot chunks, peelings and trimmings
• Corncobs and husks
• Garlic (unpeeled, crushed)
• Kale stalks (if you’re looking for a strong distinctive flavor like cabbage)
• Leek greens and roots
• Onions (unpeeled for a darker stock)
• Potatoes and potatoe peelings (remove any green spots)
• Scallions (including root ends)
• Sweet potatoes, apples or pears (for a slightly sweet stock)
• Tomatoes or lemon slices (for a slightly acid stock)
• Turnips (peel to avoid bitterness)
• Wilted celery, lettuce and watercress
• Winter squash (avoid waxed peels)
• Zucchini

Must Have Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 8 cups coarsely chopped miscellaneous vegetables
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped (include sins for a daker stock)
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (optional)
• 3 large carrots, cut into 3 to 4 chunks
• 4 large ribs celery, cut into 3 to 4 chunks
• 1 to 2 parsnips, cut into 3 to 4 chunks (optional; makes the stock sweeter)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup tightly packed minced fresh parsley stalks and leaves
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme or oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or dried oregano (optional)
• Sea salt to taste

Pressure Cooker Instructions:

1. Place the water in the cooker and over HIGH heat begin bringing to the boil.
2. Prepare and add the remaining ingredients except for the salt.
3. Lock the lid into place.
4. Over high heat bring to high pressure.
5. Lower the heat just enough to maintain the pressure at high and cook for 10 minutes.
6. If time permits, allow the pressure to come down naturally.
7. If you’re in a hurry reduce pressure with a quick-release method.
8. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape.
9. Allow the stock to cool slightly.
10. Pour the stock through a strainer into one or more storage containers.
11. Smash the vegetables against the sides of the strainer to extract all of the liquid.
12. Cool and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Standard Stove Top Instructions:

1. Finely chop the vegetables.
2. In a large soup pot, proceed as directed in Steps 1 and 2 of the Pressure Cooking Instructions.
3. Bring to the boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered until the vegetables have given up their flavor for about 60 to 90 minutes.
5. Follow Steps 9-11 from the Pressure Cooking Instruction.

photo credit: joyosity