Vegetable Broth: the easy recipe for a basic, versatile broth
Vegetable broth is one of the most versatile, basic recipes used in the kitchen. Easy to make, it is the indispensable, healthy ally for making risottos, soups, roasts and any other dish that requires cooking in a tasty and fragrant liquid. Warm and delicious, it is perfect to be enjoyed on a cold winter evening, alone or enriched with a short pasta like tortellini, or with a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese. It is a real comfort food.
You can prepare the vegetable broth with your favorite vegetables, just make sure they are fresh and in season. The classic basic vegetables are celery, carrot and onion, to which it is possible to add potatoes, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage, fennel.
You can prepare it in abundance and store it in the freezer in the special ice molds, so that it is always available. A good tip is to transfer all the scraps of the peeled vegetables (used for other preparations) in a special bag and keep them in the freezer ready to make your vegetable broth. So let’s find out how to make it by following our recipe step by step.
Tips for Easy Vegetable Broth
The vegetable broth is prepared starting from cold water; the vegetables must therefore be added immediately and not at the moment of boiling.
You can also flavor the broth with aromatic herbs, spices and aromas, such as orange or lemon zest, for an enveloping and irresistible fragrance.
The vegetables left over from the preparation of the vegetable broth can be enjoyed as a side dish, simply seasoned with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt; you can also blend them, adding a little hot water, and make a soup in which to cook broken spaghetti or pasta.
The final color of the broth must be straw yellow; for this reason it is important to cut the vegetables into coarse pieces, not too small, or leave them whole.
How to store Basic Vegetable Broth
Once filtered, the vegetable broth can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in a special airtight container.
You can also freeze basic vegetable broth in the special ice molds; in this way you will always have it available for your preparations.
How to make Vegetable Broth
Clean the celery and remove the external filaments (1).
Trim the carrot and peel it (2).
Wash the onion carefully, but do not remove the peel; it will release its flavor to the broth, making it golden (3).
Transfer the aromatic herbs to a large saucepan (4).
Cover with cold water (5).
Season with a pinch of salt (6).
Also add the cherry tomatoes, then put on the heat and cook for about 60 minutes starting from the boil (7).
After the cooking time, take the onion and set it aside (8).
Filter the broth obtained through a narrow mesh strainer (9).
Your vegetable broth is ready to be used (10).
