Description
Alton Brown’s vegetable stock provides a rich, aromatic base for countless culinary creations. Home cooks can easily prepare this flavorful liquid with simple ingredients and minimal kitchen expertise. You’ll appreciate its versatility in soups, sauces, and risottos.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 medium onions, halved
- 4 medium carrots, chopped
- 1–2 medium celery stalks, chopped
- 1 garlic bulb, halved
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 3 bay leaves
- leek or fennel tops, chopped
- 2 tsps sea salt
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 10–12 cups (2.4–2.8 L) filtered water
Instructions
- Ingredient Assembly: Gather carrots, celery, leek tops, whole garlic cloves, fresh parsley sprigs, thyme branches, bay leaves, kosher salt, and black pepper into a spacious stockpot, submerging all components completely with water.
- Liquid Activation: Escalate heat to high, bringing the mixture to a vigorous boil, then immediately transition to a gentle, steady simmer by reducing temperature to low.
- Flavor Infusion: Secure stockpot with a tight-fitting lid, allowing the aromatic liquid to develop rich, nuanced flavors through a slow, consistent cooking process for precisely 60 minutes.
- Liquid Extraction: Carefully remove pot from heat source, strategically strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to capture the vibrant, herb-infused stock while separating and discarding softened vegetable remnants.
- Seasoning Refinement: Taste the extracted vegetable stock, calibrating flavor profile by introducing additional salt and pepper to create a versatile culinary foundation perfect for soups, stews, and risotto preparations.
Notes
- Maximize Flavor Extraction: Simmer gently to coax out deep, rich vegetable essences without boiling aggressively, which can create bitter undertones.
- Ingredient Quality Matters: Use fresh, crisp vegetables at peak ripeness to ensure the most vibrant and robust stock flavor profile.
- Strain Carefully: Use a fine-mesh sieve to capture all delicate flavors while removing vegetable solids completely, creating a clean, pure liquid base.
- Storage Strategies: Cool stock quickly, then refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze in portion-sized containers for future culinary adventures.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 10
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 460mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 2g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 0.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg