HOMEMADE VEGETABLE STOCK

HOMEMADE VEGETABLE STOCK
http://alexandracooks.com/2017/11/03/homemade-vegetable-stock/

yield 2 quarts

Use the recipe as a guide — if you don't have leeks, onions are fine; if you don't have thyme or tarragon, omit them; etc.

I love using this stock in so many recipes, this one in particular, which is a little fussy, but so good: Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash and Kale

Ingredients

1 large yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 large leek, washed and roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with the back of your knife
4 sprigs fresh parsley
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh tarragon
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 quarts cold water
Instructions


Combine everything in a pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes.
Let stock cool and strain into clean containers.
Store stock in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks or in in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Peasant Bread

My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make

prep 5 minscook 32 minsinactive 1 hour, 50 minstotal 2 hours, 27 mins
author alexandra
yield 2 loaves
The bowls:

The cheapest, most widely available 1-qt bowl is the Pyrex 322.

The vintage Pyrex #441 bowl is my favorite bowl to bake the peasant bread in — the perfectly round shape of the bowl creates a beautiful round loaf. It belongs to a set of four nesting bowls (also called Cinderella bowls, specifically the Pyrex #441, #442, #443, #444), which I have purchased from Ebay. I absolutely love the set in general, but I love most of all that I can bake the whole batch of peasant bread in the second largest bowl (#443) and half of the batch in the smallest bowl (#441). The set runs anywhere from $35 to $50 or higher depending on the pattern of the Pyrex. More pictures of the bowls can be found on this post.

The bread:

This is a sticky, no-knead dough, so, some sort of baking vessel, such as pyrex bowls (about 1-L or 1-qt) or ramekins for mini loaves is required to bake this bread. You can use a bowl that is about 2 qt or 2 L in size to bake off the whole batch of dough (versus splitting the dough in half) but do not use this size for baking half of the dough — it is too big.

Yeast:

I buy SAF Instant Yeast in bulk from Amazon I store it in my fridge or freezer, and it lasts forever. If you are using the packets of yeast (the kind that come in the 3-fold packets), just go ahead and use a whole packet — It's 2.25 teaspoons. I have made the bread with active dry, rapid rise, and instant yeast, and all varieties work. If you are interested in buying yeast in bulk, here you go: SAF instant yeast and Red Star Baking Yeast (use this if you prefer to stick to active-dry, though I highly recommend using instant). The beauty of instant yeast is that there is no need to do the proofing step — you can add the yeast directly to the flour. I never use active-dry yeast anymore.

Troubleshooting:

Several commenters have had trouble with the second rise, and this seems to be caused by the shape of the bowl they are letting the dough rise in the second time around. Two hours for the second rise is too long. If you don't have a 1-qt bowl, bake 3/4 of the dough in a loaf pan and bake the rest off in muffin tins or a popover pan — I recently made 6 mini loaves in a popover pan. The second rise should take no more than 30 minutes.

Also, you can use as many as 3 cups of whole wheat flour, but the texture changes considerably. I suggest trying with all all-purpose or bread flour to start and once you get the hang of it, start trying various combinations of whole wheat flour and/or other flours. Also, measure scant cups of flour if you are not measuring by weight: scoop flour into the measuring cup using a separate spoon or measuring cup; level off with a knife. The flour should be below the rim of the measuring cup.

FAVORITE CABBAGE SOUP, UPDATED

Vegetarian Cabbage Soup
http://alexandracooks.com/2017/11/03/cabbage-soup-updated-no-bacon-vegetable-stock/


Sara Moulten mention that she never thickens soups with flour, preferring instead to purée a portion of the soup. If you have an immersion blender, this will be easy. Otherwise, you could ladle a few cups of soup into a food processor or blender. I love this idea, especially if gluten intolerance is a concern. Will try it next time, though I have no problem using flour, and don't find it adds an off taste or texture to the finished soup.

Re stock: When I made this most recently, I found the stock yielded 2 quarts, all of which I used here, along with 2 more cups of water. So, if you don't have a full 10 cups of vegetables stock, using a mix of stock and water will work just fine.
I'm not sure why the recipe calls for submerging cabbage in boiling water for one minute, but I suspect this step helps rid the cabbage of some of its water content, which can be stinky, and which might therefore cloud the flavor of the broth.
Note: This is a double recipe, and it yields a lot, but it’s so nice to have on hand, especially, if you have company arriving. With a little hunk of fresh bread, it makes the most wonderful lunch, and with a salad, a perfect dinner.

Ingredients

• 12 cups shredded cabbage*
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 to 3 cups finely diced onions
• 1/2 cup flour, see notes above
• 10 cups homemade vegetable stock or water, see notes
• 2 cups finely diced carrots
• 2 to 3 cups finely diced potatoes
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons whole caraway seeds, crushed or pulverized
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill (or more or less to taste)

*If you use one relatively large head, you may get about 14 cups — use it all.

Instructions

1. Place cabbage in a large bowl. Bring enough water to a boil — I fill a tea kettle, but you could always fill a large sauce pan — to submerge the cabbage in the bowl. Pour the water over the cabbage; let sit one minute or longer; drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat the oil over high heat until it shimmers. Add the onions, immediately turn the heat down to medium or low, and cook, stirring, until they are soft, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and stir. (Note: If you do not wish to add the flour, see the notes above for an alternative method for thickening the soup.) Add the broth or water, stirring rapidly with a wire whisk. When the mixture simmers, add the cabbage, carrots, potatoes, salt, pepper, caraway seeds, vinegar and sugar.

3. Simmer, stirring every so often, for about about 30 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer five minutes. Add the chopped dill to the pot. Taste and adjust as needed with more salt and pepper to taste. I typically add 1 to 2 teaspoons more salt, but I am a salt lover, so adjust as needed. Serve, adding more chopped dill to each bowl if desired.