Vegetable Broth
45 min
Under an hour
Roman Vaněk
Ingredients
Preparation method
Grate carrots, celery, and parsley root coarsely. Cut the leek lengthwise into quarters and then slice them into 0.5 cm thick pieces. Finely chop the onion, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Coarsely chop the flat-leaf parsley.
In a pot over high heat, heat the oil and add the grated carrots, celery, and parsley root. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium, add the leek, onion, mushrooms, and tomatoes, and sauté for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
Pour in cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to below medium, skim off any foam that forms on the surface with a ladle and discard it. Add flat-leaf parsley, thyme, salt, and spices, reduce the heat to minimum, and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Do not stir!
Chef's tip
Vegetable broth loses its freshness with prolonged cooking. It also loses it when frozen, unlike other broths. For home use, if necessary, it can, of course, be frozen. Do not salt the broth at all – or only as indicated in this recipe. You can always salt the specific dish later when using unsalted broth. The finer you chop the vegetables, the more they will impart their color and flavor to the broth. The broth will therefore be stronger. If you reduce the finished broth by a third, it will gain a stronger flavor. Always cook the broth uncovered over the lowest possible heat and NEVER stir it. It would become cloudy, and much of the flavor would remain in the sieve when straining. You don't have to sauté the individual ingredients. You don't have to grate the root vegetables; you can cut them into small cubes. Then continue the recipe by adding cold water. Such a broth won't be as strong, but it might be more suitable for some dishes. But as the saying goes: "Even the weakest broth makes a dish better than just spring water."