…and the body.
Cold & Flu season is upon us! The weather has turned and salads are off the menu! What we need now is soup… warm, nourishing soup! And the best soup required a good stock. Of course good stock is readily avail at the supermarket, but it is so easy and cost efficient to make yourself you’ll be glad you gave it a go!
A good broth really does need an hour or two on the stove on low.. but if you have a slow cooker then this gets even easier! Just set and forget!!
Super basic veggie stock
1 onion – roughly chopped
1-2 carrots – roughly chopped
2 large sticks of celery – chopped (be careful using the leaves, they can make the broth a little bitter)
tablespoon peppercorn
2-3 tsps salt
1-2 bay leaves or sprigs of thyme
handful of parsley – stems and all, do not bother trimming anything.
Throw everything in to a pot, add a litre or two of water (or enough to cover everything well), bring to the boil then immediately turn to very low and gently simmer for 1-2 hours. Strain, and then portion into containers and cool. This will freeze really well, and it’s a good idea to measure into 1/2 or 1 Cup capacity so you know how much you are adding to other dishes. Making chicken stock just means adding chicken bones, there’s really no more work than that.
Now, here’s an excellent tip I was taught years ago…..
There is plenty of nutritional value to be had in the skins and ends of our veggie off cuts.
You peel an onion, peel a carrot, you throw the scraps away, right? Wrong!!! Save all of those offcuts – even things like garlic peel, any stems or peel from other veggies are great if you want to add them to your stock – and collect them in a freezer bag or similar, and then when you are ready to make stock you have a bag of vegetables ready to go! It vastly reduces food waste and means you aren’t using whole vegetables that can be put to good use elsewhere.
The same goes for that roast chicken. Pick the carcass clean and if you aren’t ready to use the bones for stock straight away then pop it in the freezer and all of the ingredients will be ready to go when you get time.
While it does take some time on the stove, the method is really so easy and you’ll thank yourself for making the effort when you feel a little tickle in your throat..
