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ROASTED VEGETABLE STOCK

The Complete Vegan Kitchen
Vegetables that lend themselves to roasting an eggplant, fennel, onions, tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes. Asparagus ends, broccoli trimmings, and mushrooms work well also. Try to cut the vegetables into pieces that will cook at the same rate. Onions and carrots will need to be a bit smaller than Zucchini. Potatoes and broccoli stems need to be cut so they roast in about the same time as a clove of garlic. Generally, the harder a vegetable is, the smaller the chunk for purposes of roasting.
     Roasting the vegetables at a low temperature [275°] prevents charring and develops the sweetness of the vegetables more intensely. For a thick stock, roast white potatoes or sweet potatoes with the vegetables. This stock is particularly good for pureeing and using later to make sauces.
Makes about 1 gallon.

Ingredients
• 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into eighths
• 10 whole cloves garlic
• 4 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 4 carrots, cut into halves lengthwise, then into 2-inch pieces
• 4 cups reserved vegetable trimmings, or 1 zucchini, 1 eggplant, and 2 tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 black peppercorns


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large mixing bowl, toss the vegetables with the oil. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer, if possible, on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Roast for 20 minutes. Stir the vegetables and rotate the pans. Roast for another 15 to 20 minutes or until they are tender to the touch. It is not necessary that they be cooked all the way through.

Discard any charred or blackened vegetables. Transfer the vegetables to a soup pot and add 5 quarts of water, the bay leaves, and the peppercorns. Turn the heat to high. When the water is just about to boil, turn the heat to medium. Partially cover the pot and simmer the stock for about 1 hour or until all the vegetables are falling-apart soft.

To make a thin stock, strain the stock through a colander or large-holed strainer, discarding the bay leaves. Press on the .vegetables to extract all the liquid.

To preserve some of the vegetable fibers and thicken the stock, before straining it, puree the stock with an immersion blender. Strain the stock through a colander or strainer to catch the stringy, inedible fibers.

If you want a more intense flavor, return the stock to the pot and reduce it to half its original volume. Do this over low heat to preserve the delicate flavors.