Today we will review a recipe that may seem trivial to many but is indispensable for countless recipes: I'm talking about vegetable broth, which is made simply with water and vegetables. Imagine, for example, how vegetarian tortellini without broth, or dry passatelli, vegetable stews could turn out! Think about how much oil you should add to sauces, cooking juices or pastas if we didn't use broth! Its preparation is certainly not the most complex but, to obtain a good dish, the base must also be impeccable. Let's find out how to prepare the vegetable broth correctly.
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Identity Card of the Recipe
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Ingrediants
- 2 liters of water
- A few mint leaves
- A few basil leaves
- 1 sprig of parsley
- 1 tablespoon of chives
- 1 piece of Kombu seaweed
- 1 teaspoon of pink pepper
- 150 g of zucchini
- 200 g of potatoes
- 200 g of coppery tomatoes
- 50 g of shallots
- 100 g of celery
- 200 g of carrots
- Q.b. of salt
Materials Needed
- Casserole with lid
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Vegetable peeler
Preparation
What to know before starting
The basic vegetables for the preparation of vegetable broth are celery, carrot and onion. However, everyone can customize the broth according to their tastes, trying to prefer seasonal vegetables: for example, you can add tomatoes, courgettes, potatoes or make some substitutions (e.g. shallot instead of onion, pumpkin instead of carrot, sweet potato instead of potato etc.). At the end of cooking, you can add some aromatic herbs to taste.- Clean the vegetables chosen for the broth. Wash the potato and carrots, peel them and cut them into 6 pieces. Wash the courgette, remove the stalk and the opposite end, then cut it into chunks. Peel the shallot and cut it in half. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into quarters. Wash the celery stalks and cut them into chunks.
- Collect the vegetables in a saucepan and cover with two liters of water at room temperature. Add the pink peppercorns and the kombu seaweed.
Did you know that
The vegetable broth can be enriched with kombu seaweed, used to enhance the flavor of the food to which it is added. Furthermore, the seaweed is rich in iodine (essential mineral for thyroid activity).
Pink pepper gives it a particular flavor, which you may or may not like. Alternatively, it can be replaced with crushed green pepper or black pepper.- Bring to a boil and cook gently (avoiding a high flame) for about 30 minutes. The vegetable broth must always be prepared starting from cold water or at room temperature: this means that the vegetables must not be added at the moment of boiling. This device is useful to allow the perfusion of the vegetable nutrients in the cooking water.
Pay attention to cooking times
Cooking times for vegetable broth are shorter than for meat broth and fish broth: this is because vegetables are more sensitive to heat treatment than meat and fish (which are instead rich in muscle, bone and connective tissue) .
Remember that cooking times depend on the size of the vegetables: the smaller the size of the pieces of vegetables, the shorter the broth preparation time. Usually, the times vary from 15 to 30 minutes.- After cooking, turn off the heat. To taste, add the salt, which can be added if the broth is intended for making cooking stocks. Vegetable broth should not be salted if used as a simple base to hydrate other recipes, such as roasts.
- Strain the broth. Serve with chopped herbs to taste (eg parsley, basil, chives and mint).
- Vegetable broth can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days. To keep it for a long time, freezing in ice cubes or disposable plastic cups is recommended.
- The vegetables can be eaten separately, preparing a puree or they can be used for salads: remember, however, that vegetables cooked following this method will not be rich in flavor because the nutrients have spread in the cooking liquid.
Alice's comment - PersonalCooker
The vegetable broth is the ABC of cooking, vegetarian or not: there are many other variations! The vegetable broth can be customized according to our tastes. You can also make a concentrated vegetable broth: in that case, I recommend freezing the broth concentrated on ice molds, so you can use it comfortably and always have it at hand to flavor your favorite dishes!
Try also the vegetable cube in cream!Nutritional values and Health Comment on the recipe
The Vegetable Broth is a liquid food / drink that is one of the essential bases of Italian cuisine.
It has a zero or insignificant energy intake. The few calories (impossible to estimate) could be provided by carbohydrates (simple and complex).
Cholesterol and fiber should be absent.
The Vegetable Broth has no contraindications but may be unsuitable for the nutritional regimen for those suffering from digestive problems from hypochlorhydria, gastroesophageal reflux and nausea.
It can be consumed by lactose and gluten intolerants, vegans and vegetarians (not raw food eaters).
The average portion of Vegetable Broth is free but rarely exceeds 500ml.
