Making broth has to be one of the most fun activities in the kitchen there is. You take all kinds of vegetables that you have left, cut them into pieces and let them cook for a long time. Then drain your stock through a sieve or colander and you're done. You no longer need a stock cube!
We give you a few basic recipes to get you started, but you can vary endlessly. Every stock always needs some seasonings such as onion, leek and garlic. In addition, pieces of fennel, celery and carrot are always welcome. Thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and fresh herbs such as celery and flat-leaf parsley are also very suitable to use. Do not put potatoes in the stock because they will make your stock cloudy in advance. If you like a very clear stock, you can also carefully pour the stock through a cheese or tea towel. Clear stock also has a longer shelf life than stock that contains pieces of vegetables or fish.
How salty you make the stock is a matter of taste, although the salt does ensure a better shelf life. If you don't make the stock so salty beforehand, you have more flexibility when making the soup.
What about bouillon cubes? You can use some soups it is best to use a stock cube, but soups where the stock flavor is predominant, such as garlic soup or risotto soup, are much tastier with a homemade stock.
3 onions
3 garlic cloves
20 grams of butter
1.5 liters of water
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Finely chop the onion and garlic. Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic. Add one and a half liters of water and bring to the boil. Add salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and let the stock simmer over low heat for half an hour. Then pour the stock through a sieve.
2 carrots
2 leeks
1 zucchini
1 onion
20 grams of butter
1.5 liters of water
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper
Cut the vegetables into pieces and finely chop the onion.
Melt the butter in a pan and fry the vegetables in it.
Add one and a half liters of water and add the bay leaf, thyme and the bunch of parsley. Now add salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it cook for two hours on a low heat with a lid on the pan. Then pour the stock through and strain.
3 garlic cloves
5 onions
10 black peppercorns
1 stalk celery (600 grams)
2 liters of water
5 dl dry white wine
7 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper
Cut the peeled garlic in half.
Cut the peeled onions into quarters.
Crush the peppercorns in a mortar.
Cut the celery into pieces of about 5 cm.
Put water and white wine in a saucepan. Add garlic, onion, pepper and celery. Add the thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Then let it simmer for three to four hours with the lid on the pan over a very low heat. Then strain the stock.
You can make fish stock from all kinds of fish. Unlike other stocks, do not leave fish stock on the fire for more than an hour because it doesn't really taste better.
This is a delicious base for fish soup.
1 winter carrot
1 leek
1 onion
300 grams of fish (whiting, haddock, cod, etc.)
flat-leaf parsley, a handful
2 bay leaves
8 peppercorns
2 liters of water
salt
Chop the carrot, leek and onion into small pieces and place in a large saucepan with the fish, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, some salt and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 50 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the stock through a sieve. Even better is to pass the stock by placing a clean tea towel over a pan and carefully pour the stock through it.
Bring the sieved stock to the boil again and let it reduce without a lid on the pan.
Text/recipe:Manon Sikkel
Image:Getty Images
Roasted bell pepper soup
Creamy avocado soup
Become a soup chef
