I like to recycle in my kitchen, to make good use of all the flavors, nutrients and energy the universe has already given me.
When preparing meals with vegetables, there are always skins, stalks, and scraps that get thrown away in the garbage, or hopefully in the compost. Please, don’t throw them away! I want to show you how you can use these scraps to make a delicious vegetable broth.
First, I save all of these scraps in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. I continue to save them until I have a whole bunch. Usually, I have a bag full of potato skins, and peelings from carrots, onions, turnips, celery, green beans, eggplant, etc. The only ones that I don’t save are from the cabbage family (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) because when they are cooked for a long time they give the broth an unpleasant flavor. Also, I don’t put in tomato skins because they makes the broth acidic.
Next, when I have at least two hours free, I empty my Ziploc full of scraps and put it in a large pot and cover it with cold, filtered water. I heat the water to boiling and then cover the pot and cook for at least an hour or two. Sometimes, I also add parsley stems and Swiss chard stalks.
I taste it and if it´s not concentrated enough, I rehydrate dried mushrooms (de los bosques de pino in Ecuador, porcini in the US) and add the soaking liquid to the vegetable broth. I then strain it, and gently press on the peelings. For more concentrated broth, after straining it, I boil at high heat to reduce it. Finally, I cool it quickly placing the pot in a larger container of cold water; then I freeze it. You can freeze it in a container or in an ice cube tray.
Now, whenever you need vegetable stock you can just take out a container or the cubes of the broth.
A-High in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
D-Low in fat
E-Low in calories
F-Local/Native Ingredients