Making Our Own Vegetable Stock
Of course it's easier to just buy prepared stock in a box, but we've found making our own guarantees freshness as well as provides lots more flavor! This is a very easy cooking project and the resulting stock can be used for a variety of other dishes, including sauces, soups and stews.
In an six quart enameled cast iron pot with a tight fitting lid, we add:
12 cups purified or filtered water
2 medium yellow onions; skins and roots removed/cut into eighths
2 large carrots; peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper; stem, seeds, membranes removed/cut into 1 inch pieces
6 cloves garlic; peeled with root ends removed
1 heaping teaspoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
You can use any color bell pepper you have. We prefer to use red because they have the most nutrients and antioxidants.
Heat the stock to a gentle boil. Cover the pot with the lid and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Allow the stock to simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Then, leave the stock in the pot to steep while it cools down. If we start the stock in the morning, we let it sit and steep all day. If we start the stock later in the day, we leave it in the pot to steep over night.
Strain the stock into a large bowl through a fine mesh sieve. Place the vegetable stock in plastic freezer safe containers with tight fitting lids. Refrigerate if using within a day or two. Otherwise freeze for future use. The stock can be easily thawed in the microwave oven.
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