09 Cooking: Vegetable Stock and the Meaning of Life
The snake is optional
Stock is the foundation of all formal cooking. Most of us get it in cubes or jars, or in boxes from Trader Joes. Fact is, it’s kind of a pain to make, at least the first few times. After that, you’re seriously addicted. You’ll feel virtuous because you’re not throwing away those perfectly good but tough onion peels, celery bottoms, carrot chunks, tomato ends, parsley stems and other vege items. Not the potatoes, though—they and the squash go hand-in-root to the compost pile, along with anything strongly bitter (I’m talking to YOU, endive and kale) or boldly colored (unless you love beet red—then it’s OK). Mirepoix (that mix of ½ onions, ¼ celery and ¼ carrots) in any amount is the basis for all stocks, whether vegetable, white (usually made from chicken bones, though traditionally from veal bones), or brown stock (definitely veal or beef bones). A vegetable stock is the easiest to make, and super versatile. I realize I’m a renegade, and worse, the daughter of depression-era parents, but I save all my onion, carrot, celery bits plus whatever else I’ve cut up in a quart bag in the freezer until it’s full. Learning that potatoes and their bumpy cousins were responsible for my cloudy stock modified my habits, however. I’m not at all careful about proportions, though I often end up with the right amount of onions because they’re in everything I cook. I used to roast it straight from the freezer, but I’ve found I really don’t need to. I dump the washed bits into water to cover plus a little more, bring it to a boil then turn it down to (oh, these cooking phrases!) a “lazy bubble”—aka a slow simmer with the occasional bubble breaking the surface. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes, and strain. This makes a great basis for soups and sauces. If you, like me, are space-challenged, cook the strained, clear stock down (again at a lazy bubble) until it reduces to the amount you need. As Chef says, “You can always add water”. When you make vegetable stock, you have found the true meaning of life-save the good stuff, make the best use of it, have patience, and the results are versatile and satisfying.