All-Purpose Vegetable Stock

The key to a great homemade vegetable stock is to load the stockpot with ingredients that will bring some level of umami to the broth. Savoriness is imperative for a well-rounded, satisfying stock that will enhance any soup recipe, risotto, or other dish you add it to. Here we’ve fulfilled that need with kombu (a type of seaweed), dried shiitake mushrooms, and tomato paste. Beyond those ingredients, consider this your opportunity to toss in whatever vegetable scraps you have stashed away in a freezer bag. We’ve called for carrots, celery, and onions—the typical trio found in a French-style vegetable broth—but fennel would be great, as well as leeks, parsnips, sweet potatoes, or corn cobs. Avoid anything cruciferous (cabbage, broccoli, etc.) as the flavor of these can be too strong in an all-purpose vegetable stock recipe. Skip the beets too, which would dye your veg stock, and anything you add it to, magenta.

This is also a good time to use up any languishing herbs you have kicking around. We’ve called for fresh parsley, but bay leaves (fresh or dried), fresh thyme, and oregano are frequent add-ins.

We like using yellow onions for stock and usually toss the onion skins in with the rest of the veggie scraps. The peels will leech their color into the broth, turning it appetizingly golden. The final secret ingredient in this homemade broth is fresh ginger. You’ll sauté it, along with the other aromatics, until well browned, which gives the stock deep flavor but also a brightness that’ll wake up any mid-winter vegetable soup or stew.

After pouring your vegetable stock through a strainer, press on the solids gently to extract any liquid you can, then discard or compost them. We know it’s tempting to try and reuse the veg, but they’ve given everything they had to the broth and won’t taste like much outside of it. So say “thank you” and just let them go.