The Meatless Broth

Recently I’ve been experimenting with vegetable stocks, wanting to end up with one I could use in a variety of dishes, not necessarily just vegetarian. I was looking for three desired qualities: backbone, sweetness and aroma.

I realized even before preparing my first batch that there was a difference between making a vegetable soup and a vegetable stock. (When making vegetable stock, I want all the flavors of all the vegetables, not just one.) So I simply placed the vegetables in a big pot, covered them with cold water, brought the mixture to a boil and then simmered it.

I found that without the addition of meat, the classic base of onions, celery and carrots (used to sweeten chicken and veal stocks) made the stock too sweet. I thought that something bitter, like a turnip, might counterbalance it. That didn’t work.

Then I tried vegetables that mellow with cooking, yet don’t turn sweet. I added Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and mustard greens. The stock became more balanced, but the color turned dark-gray. I wanted a richly dark stock. The obvious solution was tomato paste. And there it was. The tomato paste provided a ruddy-brown color and, more important, the acidic backbone the stock lacked.

The last component to the stock was the aromatic one. Here, the usual herbs and spices worked as hoped. I added peppercorns, bay leaves and thyme.

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Once I had my basic vegetable stock, I began playing with it to see how I could manipulate it by changing ingredients. After all, everyone hates to waste leftovers. So I added some cooked vegetables that had been languishing in the fridge. The results were generally good, and I found that a combination of raw and previously cooked vegetables worked just fine.

The big surprise came when I began using the vegetable stock as a base for soups. The stock added its strong personality to all the dishes--more so than a chicken stock, although not as much as a veal stock.

A strictly vegetable soup is unlike the usual chicken-based vegetable soup because the personality of the particular vegetables is enhanced. A mixed vegetable-noodle soup, an ersatz minestrone, was divine. In Brie and apple bisque, a soup that I originally created based on chicken stock, the vegetable stock helped temper the strong cheese.

And, strangely enough, the combination of sweet peas and vegetable stock contrasted with spicy watercress in a soup and made the watercress flavor stronger. Mushroom-barley soup, a dish that I’ve always thought needed a strong beef background, was delicious with vegetable broth. The nutty flavor of the barley was even more pronounced, and the hint of forest musk from the mushrooms was accented.

VEGETABLE STOCK

2 medium onions, coarsely diced

1 unpeeled parsnip, rinsed and coarsely diced

1 unpeeled turnip, rinsed and coarsely diced

1 unpeeled medium carrot, rinsed and diced or thinly sliced

3 stalks celery, coarsely diced

1 large leek, coarsely diced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 bunch parsley, stems only

4 bay leaves

1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

6 quarts cold water

Combine onions, parsnip, turnip, carrot, celery, leek, garlic, parsley stems, bay leaves, thyme and peppercorns in large stock pot. Add water and place over high heat. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, 1 hour.

Strain vegetables from stock and discard. Return broth to pan and place over high heat. Cook, uncovered, until reduced to 4 quarts. Cool stock. Pour into pint or quart containers. Cover with lids and freeze stock up to 3 months. Makes 1 gallon.

MUSHROOM-BARLEY SOUP

1 tablespoon butter or oil

2 medium onions, diced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

6 stalks celery, finely sliced

6 cups Vegetable Stock or canned low-sodium vegetable broth

Salt, pepper

3/4 cup pearl barley

2 pounds mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

Heat butter in 3-quart pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add celery and cook 5 minutes longer. Add vegetable stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, 30 minutes.

Add barley and cook, covered, about 1 hour. Add more stock, if necessary. Add mushrooms and dill and cook 10 minutes longer. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

VEGETABLE-NOODLE SOUP

2 quarts Vegetable Stock or canned vegetable broth

1 ripe plum tomato

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 small onion, finely diced, or 1/2 small carrot, finely diced, or 1/3 cup finely diced turnip, or 3/4 cup finely diced celery, or 1/2 cup finely diced zucchini or yellow squash

1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas

1/2 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup 1/4-inch sliced green beans

Salt

2 ounces uncooked noodles or pasta, any shape

1 bunch Italian parsley, leaves only, chopped

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Pour Vegetable Stock into 3-quart stockpot. Boil over high heat, uncovered, 45 minutes or until reduced to 6 cups.

Meanwhile, cut off tip and stem of tomato, using small paring knife. Remove seeds and core, leaving only firm, outer pulp. Slice 1 side of tomato and lay flat on work surface. Cut into 1/4-inch strips, then cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside.

Melt butter in large skillet over low heat. Add onion and cook, covered, 3 minutes. Add reserved tomato, peas, broccoli and green beans. Cook, covered, 5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt.

Add noodles to pan with reduced Vegetable Stock and cook until done, about 3 minutes for fresh pasta, 7 minutes for dry. Add cooked vegetables to soup and cook 1 minute more. Before serving, add chopped parsley. Pass cheese separately. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

BRIE AND APPLE BISQUE

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons flour

10 cups Vegetable Stock or canned vegetable broth

4 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

2 ripe plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 cup medium-dry white wine, such as Muscat

2 pounds Brie cheese, rind removed, cheese cut into small pieces

1 cup whipping cream

Salt

3/4 cup finely diced peeled green apple

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, optional

Melt butter in large stock pot over low heat. Add celery, onion and carrot. Saute 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until tender. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook, stirring, 1 minute more.

Add vegetable stock, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, thyme and tomatoes. Increase heat to high and bring soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours. Soup should reduce to 6 cups, becoming slightly thick. Skim soup as scum forms on surface.

Pass liquid through fine strainer. Discard vegetables and spices. Replace stock in clean stock pot.

Add wine to stock and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Add cheese to soup and stir until melted. Add cream and salt to taste. (To prepare apple garnish ahead of time, toss diced apple with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.) Decorate each soup bowl with diced apple. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

PUREE OF SWEET PEA AND WATERCRESS SOUP

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 pound shelled fresh peas or 2 (10-ounce) packages, frozen

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups Vegetable Stock or canned vegetable broth

3 bunches watercress

1 cup whipping cream

Freshly ground pepper

Melt butter in 2-quart pan over low heat. Add onion and cook slowly, stirring, about 7 minutes. Add peas and salt and cook about 3 minutes. Add vegetable stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes.

Strain and reserve stock. Transfer peas to blender or food processor. Add watercress, reserving 12 to 16 nice leaves for garnish. Puree until very smooth. Return puree to pan and add reserved stock. Soup should be thick, but not like porridge. Add cream and bring to boil over medium heat. Season to taste with pepper.

Serve soup in individual bowls or in tureen. Decorate bowls with reserved watercress leaves. Makes 6 servings.