Vegan Vendredi: Specific Stock

I was chatting with my friends at the wine tasting last night, and they suggested that I make a specific recipe for my stock. So, here it is:

1 yellow onion
1 small leek
4 or more cloves of garlic
1 medium sweet potato
1 medium potato
2 carrots
1 large stalk of celery or 2 medium ones
a handful of sun-dried tomatoes (fresh is fine here, too... you need a handful of cherry tomatoes, one large tomato, or 2 Romas)
olive oil
soy sauce
balsamic vinegar
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme
white wine (optional)
Marmite and/or Maggi or Kitchen Bouquet (optional)
bay leaf

Preheat the oven to 375, then start on your veggies.

1. Cut the onion into quarters through the root end and peel off the papery outer layers of skin. A little bit of the papery stuff is fine and adds color. However, too much can make your stock taste bitter. I've only wound up with bitter skin stock once, but it was bad enough that I never wanted it to happen again. (Note: if you forget about this and wind up with bitter stock, sugar and more vinegar will help a bit.) Put the onion into an oiled Pyrex baking dish. (I use 13x9.)

2. Cut the root end off the leek and discard it. Cut off the bottom (white) part and toss it into the baking dish. Pull apart the green leaves on top and rinse well. Leeks are worse than spinach in terms of hiding sand and dirt. As you pull off and clean the leaves, put them into the baking dish as well.

3. Crush the garlic cloves with the side of your knife. The papery skin should peel off easily. If you can see a little green shoot coming out of the garlic, remove it. Toss that in with the onion.

4. Scrub the potatoes well (or peel them). If you're using the ones from the back of your produce drawer, cut out any sprouts. Cut the potatoes into large chunks. I probably got six chunks out of each potato. Put them into the baking tray.

5. Scrub the carrots well (or peel them). Break each carrot into two or three pieces and toss it in with the other veggies.

6. Wash the celery. Cut off the root end and most of the leaves (a few are fine), break it half, and toss it in. (Celery can easily overwhelm a stock, so don't go too crazy with it. If you're nuts about celery, put extra into your mirepoix.)

7. If you're using fresh tomatoes, pull off any stems and cut the larger tomatoes in half. If you're using dried, just throw them in.

7. Drizzle over 1 T. balsamic vinegar, 1 T. soy sauce, and 2 T. olive oil. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper, then toss well. You want everything to have a little sheen on it. If you need to, you can add some more.

8. Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme and one smallish sprig of fresh rosemary. Toss again.

9. Make sure that everything is nicely coated. Try to keep the leek tops, the dried tomatoes, and the herbs somewhat buried, as they are prone to burning.

10. Put that bad boy in the oven. Clean up the kitchen and make yourself a pot of tea. After about 30 minutes, check on your veggies. Give them a toss, then put them back in the oven. Repeat. You'll probably roast the veggies for a total of 60-90 minutes.

11. Bring a small pot of water to boil (or use your electric kettle).

12. Pour the contents of the baking dish into your stock pot. Deglaze the baking dish with the boiling water and a splash of white wine (if using). Scrape up the bits as best as you can, then pour them in with the veggies. Fill the pot about 3/4 full with fresh water. Bring it to a boil, cover partially, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Go about your business for about 45 minutes.

13. Taste the stock. What does it need? Too strong? Add water. Too sweet? Add some soy sauce. Bitter? Add a pinch of sugar or some maple syrup and a bit more balsamic vinegar. Too watery? Take the lid off and turn the heat up to let it reduce a bit. Just blah? Add about half a teaspoon of Marmite or Maggi.

14. If you have cheesecloth or an old dishcloth, use it to line a colander or strainer. Pour the stock through your filter into your biggest bowl. Go slowly. A lapful of hot stock is no fun. When you're done, press down on the solids with a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. If you've used cheesecloth or a dishtowel, you can make a bundle and squeeze out even more of the delicious stuff. Just be careful... it's hot!

Your stock is now ready. You can use it immediately in a soup or stew, to cook rice, to make a gravy, or just for a mug of something savory and warm. Otherwise, it will keep for a week in the fridge (longer in the freezer). You can also boil some of it down even more and freeze it in an ice cube tray. This will make super-concentrated little flavor cubes that you can add to a lackluster dish later on down the road. You probably should have a dedicated ice cube tray for this, though... I can't imagine that you'd want even a hint of veggie stock in your lemonade.