Homemade, Aromatic Stock

It's raining. It's snowing. The kids are finally asleep. Whatever your case may be, you actually have free time and wish to make the most of it. This is a perfect opportunity to make stock. Chef Sara Moulton calls it "liquid gold". Julia Child dedicated an entire chapter to it. In fact, she heavily encouraged one to make their own versus buying the over-salted, store-bought kind. We agree. You have an empty canvas, the chance to play with any flavors you want. And for those watching their sodium intake, this is the ideal time to really adjust the salt-levels of your soups. Making your own stock requires minimal maintenance and is as easy as "easy" can get. Even if the kids wake up and need looking after, your stock will still be perfect.

The requirements are vegetables, water, and aromatics. That is it. And you don't even need fresh ingredients. Save all those ends of vegetables you chop when making salads, stews, and casseroles. Keep a bag of these discards in the freezer and let it accumulate. When you have a decent amount of saved pieces, that is when you can make a stock.

Mushrooms are a fantastic addition to vegetable stock in a replacement for a meat-like richness. Deborah Madison, David's pioneer culinary inspiration, taught us that. And seriously folks, how many times have you just thrown out those stems when chopping mushrooms? Keep them for stock! The earthy, complex flavors of a mushroom brings wonderful depth to your finished broth. Another vegetarian secret: Substitute a Parmesean rind for a ham hock.

Here at the Piccolo Gourmet, we are extremely happy with our results. See below:

VEGETABLES:
1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper
3 whole carrots (roughly chopped)
1 cup mushroom pieces
1 medium yellow onion
4 stocks of celery (roughly chopped)

HERBS, SPICES, AND AROMATICS (perhaps the most vital part):
1 good splash of your white wine of choice
1 large Parmesean Rind (or several bits of saved rinds)
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Tbs. of butter
1 bunch parsley
4 Bay Leaves
1 clove of garlic
4 whole cloves
A nice dash of (dried) Oregano
4 strands of Saffron (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Fill a soup pot with roughly 1 - 1 1/2 Qts. of water. Throw in all of your chosen ingredients. Simmer for 1 and 1/4 hour. (Go do your laundry, or whatever you have to do.)Let cool on your stove for about 30 minutes. Remove all of your vegetables and aromatics. (We kept the removed vegetables and pureed them as a thickener for a future soup.) Boil the liquid until it is reduced by half. Add the salt now and adjust to your liking. You are done. It's that simple. And you will be so grateful that you didn't buy that salty can in the store. Save your stock in the freezer as the base for soups, gravies, and sauces. (We divided the stock in ice cube trays for easy removal and portion adjustment.)

Happy simmering!