This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
If you want to know how to make a basic broth this is the book for you. Broth to Bowl explains how to make a simple bone broth and craft it into show-stopping soups.
Broths can transform your cooking and your health. Acclaimed food writer Drew Smith shows you how to build different variations of soups from six basic broths – two vegetable, plus chicken, beef, fish and seaweed.
It has to be the tastier and healthier option i.e. making your own broth and then using it as a base for all your soups.
VEGETABLE TEA
Ingredients
- 2 Carrots
- 2 Onions
- 1 Leek
- 2 Potatoes
- 6 Black Peppercorns
- 1 Bay Leaf
- Bunch of fresh Parsley
- Sea Salt to taste
- Olive Oil to serve.
How to prepare: makes 4 litres
Put 4 litres of water on to boil in a deep pot or saucepan while you deal with the vegetables. Peel and trim the carrots and cut into thirds. Peel and quarter the onions. Dice the leek. Quarter the potatoes – you can leave the skin on.
As the water comes to the boil, drop the vegetables in and add the spices. Trim the top leaves offf the parsley, save for garnish, and throw the stalks in the mix. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Strain and discard the vegetables, keeping only the liquid. Warm through, garnish with a few leaves of parsley and a slurp of olive oil if you like.
Cook’s Tip: There’s nothing wrong with the leftover vegetables. You can have them for dinner, dressed with a little meat broth. Or take out the potato and carrot, dice and mix with mayonnaise for a cold salad.
CHUNKY VEGETABLE BROTH
This is the second stage on from the vegetable tea.
Ingredients
- 2L Vegetable Tea
- 3 Carrots
- 2 Onions
- 1 Leek
- 2 Potatoes
- I Parsnip or Sweet Potato
- Bunch of Spring Onions
- Handful of Peas, fresh or frozen
- 300g tinned Cannellini beans
- Parsley to garnish
How to prepare: makes 2 litres
Bring the vegetable tea to a simmer in a large saucepan. Meanwhile, peel the carrots and dice into small cubes. Peel the onion and and slice across. Top and tail the leek and slice into thin circles. Peel the potatoes and the parsnip of sweet potato and dice in small cubes. Add everything to the vegetable tea and simmer for 20 minutes.
Now dice the spring onions and add, along with the peas. Rinse the tinned cannelini beans and, when the water runs clear, add them to the pan. Warm for a couple of minutes and serve garnished with parsley leaves.
Cook’s Tip: Stir in a little pistou (garlic, basil & olive oil) as an extra flourish.
This can then be made into cream of green vegetables adding spinach and cream.
This is all in the book. Click HERE to purchase from Amazon.
