Sorry for my absence, fellow foodies. I have had a bit of a rough week, and haven't had a lot to post about. Today, though, I want to talk about vegetable stock.
Stock simply means a strongly-flavored broth made by boiling whatever in water, sometimes with salt, and then straining. While I was watching a cooking show a few months ago, the host casually mentioned that she always has veggie stock on hand because she always saves her unusable veggie bits - peels, etc. - and every few days she makes stock. I had a total 'doh!' moment. Why hadn't I been doing this?
Since then, I've been saving all my normally thrown-away veggie bits. Onion peels, carrot peels and tops, trimmed ends of garlic cloves, the centers from bell peppers, etc. I just boil them for a while, usually adding just a couple of pinches of salt, and then strain it really well. It can go into tupperware to save in the fridge if I think I'm going to use it soon, or into zip-top baggies and frozen, to thaw and use later. It can even be measured out into one or two cup portions so I know exactly what I am thawing. The stock can also be canned so that it keeps for a long time without taking up space in the freezer.
I seriously have no idea why I wasn't doing this my whole life. It's the easiest thing ever, and I never have to buy veggie stock again.
Happy eating!
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