One of the staples in my pantry is good quality vegetable broth. Most of the time, I am too rushed to prepare my own, so I usually settle for Trader Joe’s Vegetable Broth, which comes in a low sodium variety.
Paying attention to the sodium content in any store bought broth or soup is very important, because almost all of them have way too much.
As we move into the New Year, I thought I would post a home-made broth that would be easy to prepare and freeze in smaller quantities. Give it a try sometime soon, and then compare the taste with what you normally use. I think you’ll find it was worth the effort to prepare it yourself.
Vegetable Broth
makes 4 quarts
6 large yellow onions, peeled
5 carrots, cleaned but unpeeled
3 celery stalks
3 leeks, roots trimmed and cleaned
1 rutaga, unpeeled and chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushroom stems or fresh whole mushrooms, chopped
6 garlic cloves, smashed gently
1 bunch fresh Italian parsely
10 fresh thyme sprigs
8 black peppercorns
1 chamomile teabag
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
Roughly chop onions, carrots, leeks, and celery. Place in an 8 quart stockpot. Add the rutabaga, mushrooms, garlic, parsley, thyme, peppercorns, teabag, salt and bay leaf. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Uncover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Taste the broth to see if the flavor is to your liking. If you prefer a stronger broth, continue to simmer, uncovered for at least 30 minutes or until you like the flavor.
Remove from heat. Strain broth through a strainer into a clean pot. Discard solids and use/store.
For a richer tasting broth (my preference): First roast the onions, carrots, rutabaga, mushrooms, and garlic at 375 until they are browned and caramelized, between 45-60 minutes.
