Real Food Day 17

I got this book from the library, and I am really loving it.  The pictures are lovely and inspiring, and most of the recipes are pretty simple.  She also has pictures on each recipe to indicate what season it is best to make that recipe in - handy!

Buy it here

Today I am making my own vegetable stock.  I will use it to make soup later, or possibly to flavour some rice or quinoa for a stirfry.  I used to think that making vegetable stock from scratch was wasteful (shouldn't I just eat those vegetables), until it occurred to me to just save the part that you don't eat...like onion peels, celery leaves, etc.  So, I did that for a few days, and now I have enough to make a good amount of stock!  It's really simple - and here is the recipe that I am using (from the above book).

Vegetable Stock:

Ingredients:

1 part vegetable scraps

2-3 parts water

Directions:

1 - Place the veggies in a saucepan or soup pot.  Pour in water so it covers the veg by about 2 inches (5 cm).  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.  Cover and cook for as little as 15 minutes or as long as 1 hour.

2 - Allow the stock to cool enough to handle (so you don't burn yourself).  Place a sieve over a large bowl, pour the stock through, and press the veg with a spatula or back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as you can.  Dispose of the scraps in the compost (your garden will love you!).

Vegetable scraps ready to cook for stock