Homemade broth can be used to add flavour to soups, gravies, risottos or pasta sauces, and is a great way to use up odds and ends of vegetables that would otherwise get thrown away. This recipe is a guideline – it will be slightly different each time you make it, depending on the ingredients you have to hand. Scraps can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge until you have enough to make the broth.
Ingredients
- chopped vegetable scraps, such as: vegetables that have gotten sad and wilty, onion skins, vegetable peelings, celery and carrot ends and leaves, leek tops and cauliflower leaves.
- water
- oil (sunflower, olive etc.) – enough to fry the veg
- extra veg, such as: 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 leeks or onions
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp of whole peppercorns
Method
- Heat a small amount of oil in a pan and add the vegetables. Add a lid and gently fry the veg for around 30 mins, to bring out their flavour.
- Add enough hot water to completely cover the veg, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for an hour. Stir occasionally.
- Allow to cool and strain it through a sieve.
The broth can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, or can be frozen for several months. It won’t go ‘bad’ in the freezer, but after a few months it will lose some of its flavour. You can freeze it in ice cube trays or thick glass containers (leave some room at the top as the broth will expand when frozen). Here are 10 ways to use vegetable broth.
Replenish 