straight up veg

This is one of my go-to broth recipes. Its filled with a ton of umami flavour and is very versatile. I use it often as a replacement for recipes that call for meat-based broths/stocks.

Recipe makes approx. 4 quarts (16 cups) – depending on how far stock is reduced

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 quart of mixed fresh mushrooms (such as: cremini, button, shiitake, portobello)
• 4 yellow onions, halved (leave outer peel on for a more deep-coloured broth and extra vitamins!)
• 2 medium bulbs of garlic, cloves removed and smashed (peels can stay on)
• 2 leeks, roughly chopped
• 1 fennel (bulb and fronds), roughly chopped
• 1 head of celery, roughly chopped
• 4 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 quart dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tbsp peppercorns
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 bunch of parsley
• Optional: Parmesan cheese rind (only if you have a hunk of parm in the fridge already)
• Salt to taste
• 20 cups of water

1. Preheat oven to 350. Toss fresh mushrooms in approx. 2tbsp of olive oil. Place on a sheet tray and roast in the oven for approx. 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
2. Pour 2 tbsp of olive oil into a large stock pot on medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Stir for a couple minutes or until fragrant
3. Add all other vegetables (except for the dried shiitake mushrooms and oven mushrooms) and sauté on medium-high heat until all vegetables are coated, and aromatic (approx. 5-7 minutes).
4. Remove mushrooms from oven and add to the stock pot.
5. Pour in water and toss in dried shiitake mushrooms, herbs, peppercorns and rind (if applicable)
6. Leave the stock to simmer on medium-high heat, stirring every 15-20 minutes. Simmer for at least 1 hour.
7. The longer you cook and reduce the stock, the richer the flavour will be.
8. Add salt to taste (quantity will be determined by how far the broth is reduced).
9. Strain using a mesh sieve and enjoy!