Vegetable Stock

A good stock is the foundation for any good soup. This recipe is a good vegetable stock that you can use for vegetable soups. Feel free to experiment, using different vegetables and different seasonings as you see fit.

Ingredients:

1 pound celery

1 1/2 pounds sweet onions

1 pound carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 pound tomatoes, cored

1 pound green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 pound turnips, cubed

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic

3 whole cloves

1 bay leaf

6 whole black peppercorns

1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

1 gallon water

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

Remove the leaves from the celery, and set aside. Cut the celery stalks into large pieces and set aside. Cut the onion into wedges.

Toss the onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and turnips. with the olive oil, and place in a roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven, and roast for about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. You may want to cook them a bit longer, you want the vegetables to start browning.

Place the roasted vegetables, along with the celery, garlic, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley, and water into a large kettle. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced by half.

Strain the broth, and either use immediately, or store for later use.