Success!

[helwen]

Went to the post office, and fitzw also came. He went to Sears to see about getting a replacement belt for the dryer, seeing as he successfully took the dryer apart today. He was hoping they might have some in stock; they didn't, but they could tell him exactly which one to get, so that was useful, and now he can order one. While I don't intend to use the dryer much, it has its occasional uses (like fulling wool, for instance).

Got Peeps, some chamomile and wax bean seeds, lentils, red kidney beans, split peas, ham, potatoes, onions, and sundry other items. Passed on the flowers.

I'm going to use most of the potatoes, but I'm hoping to start one or two of them growing. They're yellow ones (Yukon Gold), so the skin is fairly thin and tender, unlike the brown russets. Since the skin and the layer just under it is where all the vitamins and nutrients are, I want a potato that I can wash, de-eye, and then use for cooking without skinning. I have a veggie pie I do sometimes, that I'll be trying these potatoes out in, so we'll see how it goes having the skin still on.

Question: Does anyone know how to make a veggie broth from scratch? I figure for a pie I can always do flour & water and mix in a few herbs, but I was just curious...

Comments

[baronessmartha.livejournal.com]

yes on the soup.
Actually, it is not as tricky as you think it would be, there are several recipes. One is goldsquare's friend's and is in my lj sometime last fall. I will try to dig it out.

onion, garlic, spices, parsnips, turnip (I leave those out), sweet potato, potato, and some other stuff...I will get back to you

[kellan_the_tabby]

I think you just chop up a bunch of veggies, toss them in a pot of water, and simmer for like months.

Okay, hours.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Ah. Kind of like making chicken soup :D

baronessmartha has a recipe she's looking up. It's looking like I can have some serious fun with soupmaking!

[calygrey.livejournal.com]

Yup. That's the method. I do it with chicken bones all the time. Takes hours. Once you get used to eating real stock, you'll never go back.

[kellan_the_tabby]

It's a lot of fun - enjoy!

[kellan_the_tabby]

I'm slowly discovering this, to my delight and (slight) annoyance.

[beard5.livejournal.com]

oh, veggie stock, start with too much chopped onion, celery and carrot (and garlic if you're into a garlicky veggie stock) put in a bowl, add a little too much salt and black pepper, and toss. Decide now if you want a slightly thicker stock, if so, add a little flour at this point, about a tablespoon or two. Determine your favorite herbs, I use entirely too much rosemary, though I'm also quite fond of thyme. take a good sized stockpot (8 quart if you've got it, otherwise 6 will do) heat to a low-medium, and then add some sort of fat, I like butter, but then I think butter should go with everything. Olive oil is nice and will flavor the stock. Toss in veggies and herbs (don't forget the leafy green parts of the celery, not the carrots, they have an oddly medicinal flavor to me, not in a good way) and sweat all of those, until the onions are translucent. (if you chose to brown them, it's really tasty, but the stock will look odd) Toss in either some nice white wine, or a good splash of lemon juice, cook down until syrupy, and *then* add water, and any other veggies you want. Greens vegetables are pretty good, but wait a bit before adding anything from the cabbage family (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage), they can turn the stock gray. Taste at this point, and see if it's what you're thinking of. If it isn't try adding a little more salt and see if that helps. If it doesn't, in my experience, it's time to add in some potato, and if you have it, real green lettuce. It's weird, but it seems to help.
And then simmer, on low, for entirely too long, if you have a woodstove, that's what they're made for. A turnip isn't a bad thing to add, since it does have a distinctive flavor. But try for the purple top ones, they're cuter.

--I love making soup! Stocks are wonderful, but they're just prep for good soup. (or stew, or sauces, dang, I want to cook right now)

[beard5.livejournal.com]

that should have read, not the carrot greens, they have an oddly medicinal taste to me. Carrots are wonderful in stock. Just not their leafy bits.

[estela-dufrayse.livejournal.com]

What everyone else seems to say about the stock, except I take it a step further. Instead of dumping it all in the pot together, I start off with good olive oil. I brown whole garlic, two or three cloves, then I reduce the heat to medium low. I then add onion, celery, carrots and sometimes red pepper. I cook these so slowly it hurts...I don't want these to brown at all. Cooking them slowly sweetens them and also thickens them up.

Once they are all cooked, like around an hour, I add all the other vegetables that looked good to me. I always add turnip, even though I don't like it, it adds something to the flavour I like. I also add kale, broccoli stems, leeks...you name it, I've thrown it in. Then cover with water and simmer for the day. Turn the heat off and let it cool, then reheat. Something about this step is also necessary...it always tastes better the next day.