Produces 3.5 litres
Prep time 80 minutes
Tip: ZERO-WASTE ALERT. Collect all your unwanted vegetable ends, peel in a zip-lock bag and store in your fridge or freezer until you’ve collected a desirable amount. Then add straight to the pot with the remaining stock ingredients. Wash everything before adding to your zip lock bag. Vegetable peel (including onion and potato) hold plenty of flavour and nutrients that are often wasted.
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
3 onions, quartered
2 carrots, cut length and width-ways
2 celery stalks, cut length and width-ways
1 fennel bulb, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved width-ways
4 tomatoes halved
50g dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in warm water
10cm square piece of Kombu
2 leeks, halved length and width-ways
A bunch of parsley
A small bunch of fresh thyme
10 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves.
Method
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based stock pan on medium heat and add the onion, carrot, garlic, fennel and celery along with the contents of your zip-lock bag. Stir-fry for a few minutes, lower the heat and cook until the vegetables have softened; around 20 minutes.
Add water to cover the contents in the pot, along with the remaining ingredients including the shiitake soaking liquid. Bring to a boil and simmer for up to an hour, continuously adding water to keep the vegetables covered as you go. Remove from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Strain the stock liquid and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
