Homemade Roasted Vegetable Stock
RECIPE UPDATED 12/20/22
I finally decided to make some roasted butternut squash soup and as I pondered the recipe it occurred to me that I didn't love last year's version. I seem to recall picking up a distracting chicken flavor from the stock. Granted, many butternut squash soup recipes that aren't vegetarian call for chicken stock. That being said, I wanted to go full veggie this time around to see if I could get a cleaner flavor. Butternut squash soup shines when simply prepared and since vegetable stock is such a big component it seemed worthwhile to try my hand at the homemade stuff.
Around the Dinner Table
On Trend
Umami isn't just a trendy food word, it's actually the 5th flavor after sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Umami is often described as imparting a savory or meaty flavor on the palate. Foods such as mushrooms and tomatoes possess this delightful power which makes sense when you consider how a mushroom veggie burger has an almost "meaty" taste. More umami-rich foods can be found here.
Though umami was discovered in 1908, scientists spent decades suggesting it was a combination of the existing four tastes -- salty, sweet, bitter, sour -- rather than something new. It wasn't until the late 20th century that the existence of taste-bud receptors specifically wired for umami were discovered. The fifth taste finally has some proper street cred.
Recipe Tip
Upcycle
I introduce the above mentioned umami by adding mushrooms and roasted tomatoes. Another option is to upcycle the tomato skins from Pomodoro Sauce. I often have skins in the freezer which makes it easy to toss a handful into the stock if tomatoes aren't in season.
Taste Test
It's worth noting that this is a rich stock. I like the depth of flavor but you might want to taste this stock next to a store-bought variety to get a feel for the difference if you're curious. If the dish you're making has subtle flavors, you could always tone the flavor down a touch with water.
Farmers | Artisans
I make an effort to source my food from California artisans with a special focus on the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Below is a list of the folks who contributed to this dish.
- Finley Farms / Celery
- Tutti Frutti Farms / Leeks
- Coleman Family Farms / Chives, Parsley, Thyme
- The Garden Of... / Carrots
- Milliken Family Farms / Garlic
- Schaner Family Farms / Onions, Garlic
- Trattore Farms / Olive Oil
- Clearwater Farms / Mushrooms
Carrots at The Garden Of - Santa Monica Farmers Market
Tools
- Stock Pot
- 100% Natural Cheese Cloth
- Swivel Peeler
- Strainer
- Large BPA-free Storage Containers
- Individual 4-ounce BPA-free Storage Containers
- Parchment Paper
- Aluminum Foil
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients (makes 5-6 quarts)
Roasting
- 5 carrots, peeled, medium chop
- 2 onions, medium chop
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- 1 small head of garlic
Simmering
- 7 smashed peppercorns
- 1 onion, medium chop
- Light green part of 2 leeks, sliced (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, large chop
- 2 carrots, peeled, medium chop
- 5 ounces shiitake + 8 ounces white mushrooms, stems left on, quartered
- 8 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped chives
- 4 quarts + 2 cups (18 cups) of cold filtered water Note: I used 20 cups of water for my last batch. Taste the stock 30 minutes in and you will know if it can handle some more water. How rich you want the flavor is up to you.
Instructions
Roasting
- Move an oven rack to the middle position and heat to 375°F.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and then lay a piece of parchment paper on top of that. Note: The parchment paper is important as roasted tomatoes are delicate and tend to stick.
- Transfer your chopped roasting vegetables (carrots, onions, and tomatoes) to the baking sheet and arrange in a single layer.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, gently toss, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Slice about 1/4 inch off the end of your garlic (not the root end) so it looks like this. Leave the skin on to hold the cloves together, rub the garlic with olive oil to prevent burning, and then seal it up in aluminum foil.
- Roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the onions and carrots start to caramelize.
- Remove the veggies and set aside if the "Simmering" steps aren't yet complete.
Simmering
- While the vegetables are roasting, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large stock pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions, leeks, mushrooms, and carrots, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then sauté for about 8 minutes.
- Add the chives, celery, bay leaves, thyme, roasted veggies + all roasting juices, and water.
- Cover and bring to a gentle simmer over high heat, then lower to medium-low and leave covered. Note: Don't let the mixture boil. Also, it's worthwhile to check on the stock periodically once you've adjusted the temperature to medium-low.
- Simmer covered for 2 hours.
- Let the stock cool.
- Using a fine-mesh strainer, press as much liquid out of the vegetables as possible (there's delicious flavor in that mush!), then strain all of the liquid through cheesecloth.
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days or freeze for future cooking.
Newsletter
Subscribe at the bottom of this page for the Chic Eats roundup. It includes new and updated recipes along with a grab bag of unique content that was interesting enough to share around the dinner table.