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Clean recipe · cooking.nytimes.com

Vegetable Stock

Vegetable stock doesn’t need the whole vegetable drawer to be savory and flavorful; browned onions, garlic and mushrooms achieve that here, boosted by caramelized tomato paste. The other key ingredient is salt, which transforms the liquid from flat to well-rounded, so if your stock seems watery, the answer might not be simmering more but rather adding salt. This stock tastes neutral enough to be used in any recipe that calls for vegetable stock, though you can shift its personality with additional ingredients; see Tip for some ideas.

Original recipe: cooking.nytimes.com

Yield:
2 servings
Prep:
5 min
Cook:
1 hr
Total:
1 hr 5 min
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Ingredients

  1. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  2. 2 yellow onions, unpeeled, quartered through the root
  3. 1 head garlic, unpeeled, halved crosswise
  4. 4 to 6 ounces white or brown button mushrooms, stems left on, torn into big pieces
  5. 1 tablespoon tomato paste, preferably double-concentrated
  6. Optional additions (see Tip)
  7. Salt

Instructions

  1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium. Add the onions and garlic cut sides down and cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are juicy and browned in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir constantly until it starts to stick to the pot, 1 to 2 minutes.
  2. Add 10 cups (2 ½ quarts) water, any optional additions and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot, then reduce heat and gently simmer for 25 minutes.
  3. Taste the stock: If it’s watery, add a pinch of salt and taste again. If it’s still flavorless, keep simmering. Repeat this every 5 or so minutes until the stock is flavorful, which could take anywhere from 25 to 40 total minutes. (If you find the stock bitter or salty, add water to dilute.)
  4. Let cool slightly, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.