Secret weapon

I'm about to let you all in on my secret weapon, and it's made from garbage. That's right, garbage, waste, refuse, what have you. I started doing this years ago and it still proves to be one of my greatest innovations, though I'm SURE I'm not the first to do this. As we all know, stock imparts far more flavor  than water, but it can get expensive. So I started saving all of my veggie scraps (of which I always have many).  I throw them in gallon sized freezer bags and let them freeze till I have 2 bags full, then I make a great stock with all items that would have ended up in the trash. The last batch I made gave me 4.5 quarts! What a money saver! The following recipe is sort of a throw together. The measurements are approximate and according to taste. Some people don't salt their stock so they can have more control of the seasoning of their soup etc. Me, I like to season it. Also, I add tomato paste (which I also always have in the freezer. I mean who uses a whole can?) because I find it adds a nice richness. If you like a lighter stock, just leave it out. This is very much up to your own taste. Also, I make this in 2 large stock pots because I don't have one that's big enough. If you're lucky enough to have one of those MASSIVE Ina Garten, feed a crowd sized ones, lucky you ;) 2 great things about this stock: 1. It's basically free 2. It has practically no fat at all. WIN! WIN!
Happy stocking...

Veggie Stock

2 galon sized freezer bags worth of veggie scraps: Leek tops, butternut squash peels and seeds, the outside cap of fennel bulbs and their fronds, herbs that are starting to wilt, the woody ends of asparagus, kernel-less corn cobs, tomatoes that have gone soft (but not moldy), carrot peels, kale ribs, potato peels, pretty much you name it.

a few fresh carrots, broken in half

a few fresh celery stalks, broken in half

1 large onion, cut in quarters (no need to peel it)

3 cloves of garlic, smashed

small handful of whole peppercorns

2 bay leaves

combination of fresh/dry herbs of your choice

5 Tbs tomato paste

5 Tbs sea salt

1/2 lemon (optional)

Remove the veggie scraps from the bags and combine all ingredients except for tomato paste and salt into your stock pots (doesn't matter if they're still frozen). Top everything with water up to a few inches above the veggies. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling reduce to a simmer and cook 30 minutes, or until carrots are soft and falling apart.

Next is the straining. This is done twice. The first strain I do is through a colander. I do it in batches and squeeze the veggies with a wooden spoon to get out as much of the stock as I can. Discard the scraps after this. Next I strain it again through a fine mesh strainer to get out anything the colander missed and combine all the strained stock back into one of the pots (assuming it fits).  Now it's time to add the tomato paste and turn the heat back up to high.

Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook another 30-45 minutes, uncovered. Add salt and taste. If using, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Pour into quart sized freezer containers and freeze. This batch made 4.5 quarts.