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Soups & Stews – Page 2 – surviving the food allergy apocalypse (archive)

surviving the food allergy apocalypse (archive)

Category: Soups & Stews

Soup [soop], noun: a liquid food made by boiling or simmering meat, fish, or vegetables with various added ingredients. Stew [stoo, styoo], noun: a preparation of meat, fish, or other food cooked by stewing, especially a mixture of meat and vegetables. These recipes will not contain dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat or hazelnuts. If we use a top 8 allergen, we will use a tag warning of its use.

  • Crock Pot Chicken Stock, a concept

    Crock Pot Chicken Stock in jars
    Crock Pot Chicken Stock in jars

    Here’s your thought experiment for this bright Monday: you live in New England. The snow piles are so high that you, in your sensible, fuel-efficient sedan, can’t see to turn corners. Another blizzard is predicted — the third in a few weeks — to last two days. But you live in New England, and you ignore it. Without really planning it, you get snowed in for two days. You could, were you industrious, brush the car off, shovel it out, brave the roads and hit the grocery store. Or you could scavenge in your own well-but-bizarrely-stocked kitchen and not bother to get dressed. Surely there’s enough food in there for two days.

    What do you do?

    You can start with soup. What I love about stock is that it’s a way to not waste bits and pieces — you get stock! This also means, though, that there is no real recipe for stock. I mean, you can write one. We have before. But this one is more of a concept than a recipe. I read something somewhere, likely on Facebook, about making stock in your crock pot. I think I may have linked it on a Friday. I mean, brilliant, right? So if you have a snow day, are not sure what to eat once you’ve demolished the leftovers in the fridge, and own a crock pot, this recipe is for you. Even if it’s not snowing. And even though this isn’t really a recipe.

    Stock full of ingredients
    Stock ingredients

    Basic technique: Fill crock pot with stock ingredients. Fill with water. Cook for about a day.

    But here’s what I do: I collect things in the freezer. When I roast a chicken or buy a rotisserie one, I keep any skin I don’t eat and all the bones — throw them in a bag in the freezer. Add other things you aren’t using — some leftover vegetables you don’t finish, mushroom stems, the quarter of an onion you don’t need for that recipe, the herbs you bought and don’t need all of. Don’t add celery — it just turns to mush in the freezer– and I’m not a fan of brassicas in stock at all (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage) because they are very strong. Everything else? Fair game.

    This stock I took photos of started with a chicken I cooked, leaving all the skin and bones and one whole thigh (I got sick of chicken that week). I also added a bag of “leftovers” from the freezer — mushroom stems, probably three quarters of an onion, and some peas. I did thaw these for a bit, but I’ll tell you my secret cheat for that in a minute.

    To this cache from the freezer, I added everything that was still good in the fridge — a few handsful of parsley, a small bunch of thyme, a few carrots, some sad celery with the brown bits cut off, and a tablespoon or so of salt. Sometimes, I add peppercorns. Sometimes, I’ll roast some of the veg first; this adds great flavor, but it’s not necessary for good stock. If you have no fresh herbs, add some dried. I usually add a bay leaf, but I was out this time around. Thyme, basil, oregano, dill — all are good in stock. Add what sounds good. You can also add a bit of tomato paste, but this time, I had just finished a jar of pasta sauce for lunch, so I rinsed it out and added that water to the stock, too.

    Pack all this in your crock. Then fill the crock with water. Put on the lid and cook. It really is that easy. Cook 4-6 hours on high (recommended if you started with anything frozen), or 8-12 on low. I’ve never overcooked stock, so I think this is a pretty forgiving recipe.

    IF you have started with some frozen or partially frozen parts, here’s how to cheat — generally, crock pots don’t do well with frozen foods. They just don’t get hot enough. I thaw things for a few hours or overnight in the fridge first, but then I add a few cups of boiling water. Not starting from cold seems to help. You can also run the pot on high for the first hour and then turn it down.

    When your stock is done, you want to strain out all the “stuff” you just extracted flavor from — I use a giant kitchen bowl with a colander in it. Dump the entire pot in, and then lift out the colander full of bones and vegetables.

    If you plan to use plastic to store your stock, let it cool to room temp first. If you’re using jars, it works fine to pour it in hot. Stock should keep about 5 days in the fridge, and a few months in the freezer. Or, hey, get fancy and make some risotto right away with the hot stock.

    Let us know if there are any particular ingredients you love in stock!

  • Pumpkin (or Butternut Squash) Bisque

    Pumpkin Bisque
    Pumpkin Bisque

    We hope you all made it through Thanksgiving okay. Mary Kate and I only set two smallish fires on her stove, but no harm, no foul. There will be more posted about the “Fry-Day” Thanksgiving later on.

    The reason I developed this recipe is because I had a pumpkin from the Community Supported Agriculture share I split with Mary Kate. I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin, I hated pumpkin pie in the long, long ago when I could still eat whatever I wanted. And I never eat pumpkin spice anything when the seasonal pumpkin spice everything starts. But I do like pumpkin bisque with a bit of onion, rosemary and sage. You could also do this with your left over butternut squash from Thanksgiving if you have any. I finished this soup just before the power went out on Wednesday the night before Thanksgiving, and the power did not return until Friday evening.  It warmed up really well in my Jetboil camp stove set up on my dining room table while we had no power and no heat. Yeah, I know I’m not supposed to use them inside, and I’m not advocating that anyone else follow my poor example (don’t sue me if you do something dumb just because I did).

    Pumpkin (or Butternut Squash) Bisque

    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 1 Tablespoon of olive oil (or other safe for you oil)
    • 2 cups of vegetable stock (I used homemade, here’s a link on how to make vegetable stock, or if you can buy safe commercial stock, have at it)
    • 4 cups of cooked pumpkin or butternut squash (here’s a link on how to roast and make puree, also if you’re using pumpkin, make sure you use pie pumpkins or your bisque might be a little blah)
    • 1/2 teaspoon of rosemary
    • 1/2 teaspoon of sage
    • 2 Tablespoons of non-dairy safe for you margarine (I make my own margarine due to the corn thing, but if you can use Earth Balance, go for it)
    • 1/2 cup of cashew milk (or other safe for you non-dairy milk, I make my own from this recipe but I skip the added ingredients other than water and cashews)
    • Salt and black pepper to taste
    • 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar (optional – you might not need it if you’re using butternut squash)
    • A couple of squirts of your favorite hot sauce (optional)
    • A bit of minced parsley as a garnish (optional)

    In a large stock pot or dutch oven, saute your onions in the olive oil until they have some color, and they are softer, as shown below.

    Sauteed Onions
    Sauteed Onions

    Once your onions are ready, add the vegetable stock. Make sure to mix in all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan into the stock to get all the flavor you can.

    Vegetable stock and onions
    Vegetable stock and onions

    Add the pumpkin puree (you’ll note mine wasn’t that pureed), the sage and the rosemary.

    Pumpkin, vegetable stock and onions
    Pumpkin, vegetable stock and onions

    I simmered mine for a bit to make sure my roasted pumpkin was tender, and for the onions to cook and soften further.  Once I thought the pumpkin and onions were tender enough, I used my immersion/hand/stick blender to puree everything nicely.

    Pureed Pumpkin Bisque
    Pureed Pumpkin Bisque

    Now add your margarine, and cashew milk, and stir well to incorporate.  Taste your soup and add the salt, pepper, brown sugar, and hot sauce as needed. Ladle some into a bowl, sprinkle with your parsley, and bask in the warmth of the soup.

    Pumpkin Bisque
    Pumpkin Bisque

     

  • Vegetable Lentil Chestnut Soup

    Vegetable Lentil Chestnut Soup
    Vegetable Lentil Chestnut Soup

    Looking in my fridge and freezer, apparently all I’ve made for weeks are soups and stews and chilis. It’s getting cold (maybe it just IS cold?) and soup is warming. This soup is based on a recipe title I read a year or so ago, possibly on a can. I can’t remember where, and I never could find it again. All I had was “lentil chestnut” and it sounded good.

    I figured this would be a quick and easy soup if I used canned lentils and packaged chestnuts, both of which I usually have on hand, and my standard trio of soup vegetables: onions, carrots, and celery. I also used homemade stock, as I try to do, because frankly, mine tastes better.

    This soup is hearty because of the lentils, a bit sweet because of the chestnuts, and full of vegetables for flavor, texture, and, hey, nutrition. I even had a lentil naysayer taste the soup, and it got a general approval. My vegetables were rather giant in relation to the chopped chestnuts and tiny lentils, and if that will bother you, consider chopping everything more finely. I kind of liked it, and it made for more interesting photographs (so did having a better camera to play with).

    Vegetable Lentil Chestnut Soup
    Vegetable Lentil Chestnut Soup

    Vegetable Lentil Chestnut Soup

    • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 onion)
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup chopped carrot (three small carrots)
    • 1 cup chopped celery (2 larger stalks)
    • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic (2 cloves)
    • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
    • 1/2 teaspoon dill
    • 1/2 teaspoon tarragon
    • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
    • 5 oz cooked and shelled chestnuts, chopped (this is the size of package I can buy around here — cook and shell your own, if you like, but be warned, it’s more work than you think it will be!)
    • 2 cups cooked lentils — any type you like except red, which will not hold their shape. I used black.
    • 3 cups of vegetable broth, preferably unsalted. Add your own salt.

    In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, add the oil to a hot pan. When the oil is shimmering hot, add the onion and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes. Do the same with the celery.

    Now season: Add the garlic and stir well. Then add the spices and stir again. Give it a minute to heat up — this seems to let the garlic really permeate this base of the soup.

    Add the chestnuts and lentils, stir, and then add the vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. There are two ways to do this. If you’re feeling patient, leave the heat at medium and let it come up to a boil slowly. This is great for flavor, but honestly, not enough to insist that this is the right way to do it. You can also just turn the heat up to boil it fast. Either way, after you’ve had a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

    Enjoy soup.

    Vegetable Lentil Chestnut Soup
    Vegetable Lentil Chestnut Soup

  • Potato Curry Soup

    Potato Curry Soup (on the moon!)
    Potato Curry Soup (on the moon!)

    Apparently, I first made this recipe in September 2007 — I’m an historian, so I do tend to date all my notes. I never really finished it, though. Like so many things, I made it once, liked it enough to sketch down sorta kinda what I did and what I threw into the pot, and never looked back at it. But this is why good notes are important right?

    For this time of year, when “cool” feels “cold” because of transitions in temperature, a nice soup with warming spices might be the most perfect dinner. Also, the house smells amazing. As a finishing note, I add coconut milk, just a bit, to give it a richer, creamier curry flavor, though this is not necessary. I am reasonably sure that most non-dairy milks would work here, though I’m not sure rice milk would add much (and don’t use “light” coconut milk — it adds very little). But I think it’s fine without the added non-dairy milk, too. Because of the optional coconut milk, I’ve confusingly tagged this with a “tree nut warning” as well as “nut-free.” It depends on how you make it; do what works for you.

    I basically took my forever-perfect combination for soup (onions, potatoes, carrots, celery) and changed up the seasonings to a mad fantastic curry blend. The spice of this soup stays mainly in the broth, which is a nice play against the earthy vegetables and beans. When you taste it to adjust seasonings, taste the broth AND a potato or carrot; they balance.

    Because this is a big pot, mix it up as you work through the leftovers. A handful of spinach added before re-heating is pretty awesome. I’ve also used a serving, with lots of broth, poured over fish and simmered until the fish is done. I like to get a little creative with leftovers.

     

    Potato Curry Soup
    Potato Curry Soup

    Curry Potato Soup

    • 1-1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
    • 1/4 of an onion, softball-sized, chopped (between 1/2 and 3/4 cup)
    • 2 cloves of garlic, pressed or chopped finely
    • 1 good chunk of ginger, one inch around (size of a walnut), finely minced or micro-planed
    • 1 Tablespoon curry powder (choose sweet if you like it mild, hot if you like that)
    • 1/2 Tablespoon turmeric
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional, but I’d suggest adding at least a pinch)
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt (if you’re using commercial broth, use 1/4 teaspoon then taste)
    • 1/4 of a bell pepper (about 1/2 a cup)
    • 4 stalks celery, chopped
    • 3 carrots, chopped
    • 3 medium potatoes, small cubed (smaller than dice, about 3 1/2 cups). If you want a super creamy soup, peel your potatoes. If you’re lazy like me, or want the fiber, leave the skins on. It’s up to you.
    • 2 cups or one can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
    • 6-8 cups broth or stock, vegetable or chicken
    • 1/4 cup coconut milk, unsweetened and unflavored, optional
    • additional hot sauce, if that’s your thing, optional

    Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Add oil to your stock pot for a good thick coat (hence the range), and let that heat until shimmery. Add your onion and cook until translucent.

    Add the ginger and garlic, stir well, and cook until fragrant. Add about 1/4 of a cup of broth and stir well, making sure to scrape up any of the garlic and ginger that stuck to the bottom.

    Add all the spices and stir well.

    Add the pepper, celery, and carrots, stir well, and cook for 5 minutes or so. Add potatoes, stir until completely coated with spices, then add the beans and stir again. Add the rest of the broth, covering your soup ingredients completely, stir well, and cover until it comes to a boil. Do this over medium heat. When you’ve reached the boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer until the potatoes are fully cooked and starting to break down a little — about 30 minutes.

    Stir soup well, and taste. Add salt, if needed, and then add the coconut milk, if using (or use another non-dairy milk here) and hot sauce if everyone wants it. If you do like it really spicy, I’d recommend harissa here.

    Enjoy. This soup reheats fantastically, but I’ve never frozen it.

     

     

     

     

  • Fresh Corn Stew

    Fresh Corn Stew
    Fresh Corn Stew

    I hate writing recipes I know Denise can’t eat, but that’s one of the things we deal with with food allergies — I almost feel guilty eating things someone else can’t. But I also know not to push that guilt on them. So sorry, corn-allergic friends and readers, but this one isn’t for you.

    With our CSA share, we are currently getting a ton of corn — about 6 ears a week. And I get all of it (which, I think works out — Denise has taken all the lettuce because I don’t eat it.) Corn on the cob is awesome (if you’re not allergic), but frankly, it gets boring quickly. Using up all the leftover corn gave rise a few variations to this recipe, a corn stew, though I’m not entirely sure about calling it a “stew.” It’s not primarily broth, like a soup, but it’s not a chowder because there is no cream or milk in it (though if you stir in the cashew sour cream suggested as a topping, BAM: chowder!). So we’ll go with stew. English. So imprecise sometimes.

    If you’ve never taken corn off the cob, here are some ideas about how to do this. I just use my largest cutting board and a long thin knife and clean up the mess.

    This stew is completely vegan, but depending on the toppings you choose, you might alter that. I suggest considering, as toppings: avocado, crumbled bacon, scallion greens, cashew sour cream, cheese (vegan or not, as you decide), and cilantro. You sure don’t need all of these, but this stew kind of begs for a topping or two. In any case, it highlights the sweet corn that says “summer” to so many people.

     

    Versatile: with bacon, vegan, and with cashew sour cream
    Fresh Corn Stew is Versatile: with bacon, vegan, and with cashew sour cream

    Fresh Corn Stew

    • about 2 T oil or fat of your choice (if you are going to top this with bacon, consider using the fat!)
    • 2 leeks, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
    • 1 Italian pepper, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
    • 3 ears of fresh sweet corn, cooked and kernels cut off the cob (between 1.5 and 2 cups)
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil (or about 4 leaves fresh, chopped)
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 16-20 oz. of vegetable broth or stock
    • 3 small fresh tomatoes, cut into chunks (between 3/4 and 1 cup)

    Toppings, all optional:

    • scallions
    • cashew sour cream*
    • fresh cilantro, chopped
    • bacon, cooked and crumbled
    • cheese or cheese substitute
    • avocado

    In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add leeks, stir well, and then add chopped pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft.

    Add corn kernels, stir well, and then add basil, salt, and pepper. If you are using commercial broth, go light on the salt until you’ve tasted the broth. Stir seasonings in well.

    Add broth and bring to a low boil. Add tomatoes, and when low boil is again achieved, turn down the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes.

    Top as desired, and enjoy. This soup is great the next day.

    Cashew Sour Cream (modified from oh she glows!) (obviously this makes it not nut-free)

    • 1/2 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight or in hot water for a few hours
    • 3 Tablespoons water
    • 2 teaspoons lime juice
    • pinch salt (to taste)
    • 1 teaspoon chives

    Add cashews, water, and lime juice to blender. Blend until smooth. Stir in chives and salt. Refrigerate for an hour to thicken.

    Enjoy.

    Fresh Corn Stew with Bacon
    Fresh Corn Stew with Bacon

  • Bison Chili

    Bison Chili with sliced avocado -- keeping you warm until spring really shows up
    Bison Chili with sliced avocado — keeping you warm until spring really shows up

    I know, I know, I know. It’s MAY. Which is more than officially spring. I should be posting fresh asparagus recipes, or greener than green salads, or something fresh and colorful, right? Instead, I have chili. Seriously? In May?

    But yes, chili. See spring is a rather evil season in most of the northern part of the US, especially this year. It’s been a fickle and bitchy season — teasing, taunting, and often freezing. So after spending a few days outside last week in this capricious weather, I am offering a mild and tasty chili (no 18 types of peppers in this version), made lighter with lean bison rather than beef, with a good mix of spices to warm you up and yet not remind you of winter. Hopefully.

    Oh, and if you want to vegetarianize the basic chili spice recipe here, I think TVP reanimated with mushroom broth might make a good substitute, but I didn’t try it because of the soy allergy. If you give it a go, will you let us know in the comments?

     

    Mmmm, spring chili. Why not?
    Mmmm, spring chili. Why not?

    Bison Chili

    • 2 Tablespoons oil
    • 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 1/2 medium onions)
    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 lb. ground bison
    • 2 Italian peppers, cleaned and chopped (these are more sweet than spicy, long and green)
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
    • 4 teaspoons chili powder
    • 1 can of chili beans (I’ve been using a can of mixed types of beans, which I kind of love)
    • 1 teaspoon fresh, minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon zatar blend spice**
    • 1-24 oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes (or two smaller cans, or your own cooked tomatoes)
    • Optional toppings: avocado, diced tomatoes, crushed corn chips, non-dairy cheese

    Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil and let it heat until shimmering.

    Add the onion and salt, cook until translucent. Then add the peppers, cook for another minute or two, then add the garlic if you’re using fresh garlic. Stir well.

    Add the meat and break it up as it cooks. When the meat is broken up well and mostly cooked, add the dried seasoning (add garlic powder here if you’re using that).

    Add the beans, stir well, and then add the tomatoes. When the mixture is at a low boil, turn it down to low and simmer it for at least 40 minutes.

    Add toppings and serve! This chili really benefits from a little avocado on top — I think the richness and “green” flavor compliments the lean meat (add just a pinch of kosher salt to the avocado to make its flavor really pop). Leftovers are pretty great over baked sweet potato.

    **This spice blend contains sesame. You can leave it out.

  • Potato and Roasted Garlic Soup

    Potato and Roasted Garlic Soup
    Potato and Roasted Garlic Soup

    Before the food allergy apocalypse hit, I was a sucker for those huge 9 x 12 inch gorgeously photographed 200 page cookbooks that were always on sale for 5 or 6 bucks on the clearance tables at Borders (when it still existed) or Barnes & Noble. I have about six of them.  When Mary Kate and I were talking about what we should develop for the coming months, it fell to me to develop a soup from the Roasted Vegetable Stock that Mary Kate was going to post. I tend to use more beef and pork (no more chicken for me, sigh) in my every day “normal” cooking and most of my standard soups have a protein in them. So to get ideas, I went looking through my cookbook collection and found Best Ever Soups: Over 200 Brand New Recipies for Delicious Soups, Broths, Chowders, Bisques, Consommes on the shelf. I took it out and went for a spin through it. Now, about half of the recipes in the book are now off limits to me, but I can see a lot of room for modification and de-allergizing, which is a lesson in and of itself. I don’t have to look at the cookbooks as off limits because I can’t eat that stuff anymore, I can use them to get inspiration for my new way of eating. I can look at them as a way to say, “hey, I still want to eat something like that, how do you think I can tweek it?”

    So using the recipe in the book and making a few minor tweeks, I give you a soup with potatoes, Mary Kate’s Roasted Vegetable Stock, and roasted garlic. Because how can that be bad? Other than roasting the garlic, the rest of the prep is relatively simple. This would make a good weeknight dinner if you threw the garlic in the oven while you read the mail, check your email and change into your pajamas (oh wait…does everyone else do that just after you walk in the door too?). Or it’d make a nice side or appetizer for a weekend dinner. I’m serving it with a mustard and maple syrup marinated pork loin and a green salad.

    Potato and Roasted Garlic Soup

    Serves 4

    • 2 bulbs of garlic with the tops trimmed off, but unpeeled (or 1/2 cup of already roasted garlic that you may have on hand, see below)
    • 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
    • 4 large potatoes or 5 small to medium potatoes, peeled and diced
    • 8 cups of Roasted Vegetable Stock (I’d avoid using the dill in the stock for this soup, but any of the other herbs should work fine)
    • 1 small onion or one half of a large onion, peeled and diced
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • a dash or two of hot sauce (a Tabasco style hot sauce would be lovely)
    • fresh parsley to garnish

    Pre-heat your oven to 375°F. Trim the top of the garlic bulbs just so the tops of the cloves are showing.

    Garlic bulb with its top trimmed
    Garlic bulb with its top trimmed

    Place the bulbs on a small roasting pan or sheet pan and drizzle the olive oil over the trimmed garlic bulbs.

    Garlic bulbs drizzled with olive oil
    Garlic bulbs drizzled with olive oil

    Roast the garlic until for 45 minutes or until it’s soft in the center of the cloves. (Or if you want to make your life really easy, if you have some roasted garlic already prepared {here’s how to do it, takes an hour, do a bunch ahead of time and store it in a jar in your fridge or freeze it so you can use when you want it without the aggravation}, use half a cup and mash it up before adding to the soup.) Once your bulbs have roasted, take them out of the oven and set them aside to cool a bit.

    Roasted Garlic Bulbs
    Roasted Garlic Bulbs

    Add your roasted vegetable stock and the peeled and diced onion to a large stock pot, and simmer on medium high.

    Stock and onions in stock pot
    Stock and onions in stock pot

    Then peel and dice your potatoes.

    Peeled and diced potatoes
    Peeled and diced potatoes

    Par-boil the potatoes in another pot in salted boiling water for 10 minutes.

    While the potatoes are cooking, squeeze the cooked garlic out of the bulbs (I found it easiest to do it a couple of cloves at a time) into a prep bowl.

    Roasted Garlic removed from bulbs
    Roasted Garlic removed from bulbs

    When all the cooked garlic has been separated from the bulbs, add the cooked garlic to your roasted vegetable stock, and stir it well.

    Once your potatoes have finished cooking, drain them.

    Par-boiled potatoes after draining
    Par-boiled potatoes after draining

    After draining, add them to the roasted vegetable stock. Simmer for 20 minutes and then season to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Serve topped with a bit of parsley to make it look pretty, and enjoy!

    Potato and Roasted Garlic Soup
    Potato and Roasted Garlic Soup

  • Roasted Vegetable Stock

    Garnished Broth. Photo by Jack Andrews
    Garnished Broth. Photo by Jack Andrews

    I know. It’s spring. Or, rather, “spring.” The thing is? It’s still pretty cold here, and on top of that, damp. So, basically, it’s still soup weather, and rather than being cranky about it, let’s just make some good veggie stock to cook up some of the vegetables that might, in a perfect world, soon be coming out of the ground. Or, maybe, going into the ground. Man, this whole seasonal blah is really not inspiring me! But I’m hungry, and soup is good.

    So. Soup stock. As with Denise’s Roasted Beef Stock, this vegetable stock gets a lot of its flavor from caramelizing the sugars in the vegetables by roasting them first. Deglazing the roasting pan with white wine or sherry adds a little extra hit of flavor, but if you don’t have or don’t want to use alcohol, water will work. Just make sure to scrape the bits up really well — there’s flavor in there.

    This stock can be the base for pretty much any soup, though if you’re going for a specific flavor profile, consider that when choosing your herbs. I’ve given very specific measurements here because part of the reason we’re posting basics like stock is that we know that some people have always purchased stock, either in bouillon cubes or in boxes or cans. Allergies take away that option (damn allergies) or make it difficult, so if soup stock is part of your learning curve, we’ve got it covered. BUT. Stock is inherently flexible, so feel free to play with the recipe. You do not need exactly what I’ve used, and the measurements are overly precise (unnecessarily so) just in case you’re a newbie and want that. I weighed everything that was roasted, just for you, and since I was doing that, did metric and US weights. I don’t actually know metric measurements otherwise, so they aren’t included other than that. Sorry about that.

    A note on ingredients and prep: in a stock, you’re extracting flavor. So you want the best produce you can buy, and you want to alter it as little as possible. Because of this, when possible, I buy organic vegetables to roast, and I wash them well. I don’t peel them. Chop them roughly, and remove only parts that are bad or brown, and any parts that might burn (onion skin).

    Ungarnished Broth. Photo by Jack Andrews
    Ungarnished Broth. Photo by Jack Andrews

    Roasted Vegetable Stock

    There are two sets of ingredients in this recipe. The first set get roasted. The second set go straight into the stock pot.

    Roasted Ingredients
    Roasted Ingredients

    To go into the oven:

    • 7 carrots (9.5 oz, 269g)
    • 7 stalks of celery, plus core (15 oz, 425g)
    • 2 apples (12 oz, 345g)
    • 1 onion (8.5 oz, 237g)
    • 4 large shallots (1 lb., 453g)
    • a handful of garlic cloves, about half a head on a typical US-sized clove (2 oz, 64g)
    • 1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
    • 1/2 Tablespoon salt
    • 1/4 cup of white wine, red wine, sherry, or water (reserved — use this after roasting)

    Preheat your oven to 400°F.

    Chop the carrots and celery into about 1 inch chunks — remove any greenery from carrots, and remove and reserve all the celery leaves (see below). Quarter the apples and remove the part of the core containing the seeds. Quarter the onion and halve each quarter — remove all the papery skin. Same with the shallots (note — I used shallots here because they looked good at the store when I was buying the veg — you could just use another onion or two here, but less in weight than shallots, as shallots are milder). Remove the skin on the garlic cloves.

    Place all the veg in a baking pan or roasting pan with sides, metal is preferred. Douse them with olive oil and salt, and turn everything around in the oil until it’s well-coated.

    Put the pan in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes. You’ll need an hour, possibly an hour and a half to get a good caramelized brown all over all your veg, so plan accordingly. Check every 30 minutes, and beware of sticking your head close to the oven as you open it — there’s a lot of steam in there. And yes, I forget that every.single.time.

    Now, your second set of ingredients for the stock — the ones that do not get roasted.

    Into the stockpot:

    • another handful of garlic cloves
    • all of the celery leaves — don’t waste them!
    • 1/2 a bunch of parsley
    • 3-4 sprigs of dill, or another fresh herb that looks good at your store and is soup-appropriate (rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme — all would be good options)(optional, but adds freshness)
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
    • 1 Tablespoon whole peppercorns (this does NOT make your stock hot — the peppercorns aren’t broken, so most of the oil stays in, but it adds a nice flavor) (if you are Denise and you’re making this, you would likely add dried chilies here instead, but those will be hot — if that’s your thing, do it!)
    • about 10 cups of water

    Get all this (MINUS the water) ready in your pot while everything else roasts.

    When the roasting is done, scrape the roasted veg directly into the stockpot. Deglaze your pan with your water or wine by pouring the cold liquid on the hot pan and using that to scrape up all the roasted bits stuck to the pan. Add that to the stock pot.

    Then add water, enough cover all the stuff in the pan by about two inches. Bring this to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

    Strain out and discard the vegetables and herbs, and either use it to make soup right away, or store it. This should keep in the fridge for about a week, or store it in the freezer. With 10 cups of water, I got not quite 3 full quart jars of stock.