No-Waste Veggie Stock

Ingredients

• 3 litres water
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 white onions
• 2 medium carrots
• 300-400 g vegetable scraps
• 3-4 tablespoons oil
• 250 ml wine or other liquid seasonings
• handful fresh rosemary
• handful fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

Recommended vegetable scraps

• garlic and onion skins
• lemon rinds
• leek or spring onion ends
• fresh herbs such as coriander, parsley, basil, mint, rosemary and thyme
• carrot ends and skins
• avocado pits and skins
• celery ends
• mushroom stems
• anything else you might have veg scraps from – get creative with it!

Other seasoning options

• 1 tablespoon miso paste dissolved in warm water
• soy sauce
• liquid smoke
• balsamic or apple cider vinegar

Method

Fill a large freezer bag over time with all your scraps. When the bag gets full, or before six months is up, remove it from the freezer and leave to defrost. Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic, onions, carrots and fresh herbs, and add to a large pan.

Heat the pan on medium until the garlic and onions are starting to brown. Transfer the defrosted scraps to the pan, and any dry or paste seasonings, then lower the heat. Gently fry until all the scraps are completely cooked down.

Move the scraps to a large pot and add the cold water, adding more if it doesn’t cover the scraps. Add in the wine and any other liquid seasonings like soy sauce or vinegar.

Place on the lid with a gap and heat up on medium. Once the water is hot, simmer on low for 2 hours. If you have a slow cooker, you can simmer the scraps unattended on low for 3-4 hours, checking every now and again.

Keep tasting and add salt and pepper according to your preferences. Once you’ve tasted it and are happy with it, let the liquid cool and blend until smooth.

If you want even portions, pour the liquid stock into into ice cube trays or bags. Alternatively, put the liquid back into the freezer bag you used to store the scraps, and lie it flat in the freezer. Once it is partially frozen, break into pieces.

Keep the stock in the freezer for up to a year and use in all your favourite savoury recipes for a flavour boost!