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Making delicious vegetable broth & pasta fagioli soup
As I've mentioned before (or as you know if you follow my Twitter), I cook supper every night. It took a while to figure out what I could make that everyone in my family would eat -- we're all very picky, although I am by far the pickiest.
Every Friday during supper, we talk about what we're going to eat for suppers and lunches the upcoming week. We make a menu and we make a grocery list based around it. There are several really reliable recipes that we all enjoy the heck out of, but, of course, I have some rules that I try not to deviate from. For example, I don't make more than one pasta dish per week. That dish rotates -- usually it's either baked ziti, stuffed shells, or mac and cheese.
Another example is there must be two fruits or vegetables with every meal. If we're having baked ziti, the tomatoes in the sauce count, but we'll usually also have salad or crudite. Another example is tonight: we had a frittata with onions and mushrooms, and a side dish of steamed broccoli with Mornay (cheese) sauce on top. Supper on Friday is going to be Morningstar Farms chicken patties on sandwiches (with lettuce and tomatoes and pickles), with roasted cauliflower as a side dish.
The exception to the 2 fruits/veg rule is soup, since usually we're having some kind of vegetable-based soup.
I almost never use vegetable broth out of a box. For one thing, it's extremely salty. For another, it's just... well, I find it personally unappealing. And I have the privilege of having the time and the vegetables to make broth from scratch. It's actually extremely easy.
Delicious Vegetable Broth
The trick to making a delicious vegetable broth is the vegetables. Does that sound too easy? It is stunningly easy, especially if you buy vegetables that you forget to eat or that get lost in the shuffle. (Even the best planning doesn't account for vagaries in what people feel like eating on any given day -- we may think we're going to eat two heads of celery in one week because that's what we ate the week before, and then we spend the week eating tomatoes and avocados!)
Go through your fridge and pull out the old, limp vegetables. Dried-out carrots. Floppy celery. Lingering halves of onions. The asparagus you kept saying you were going to make, but never got around to. The wrinkled bell pepper tucked all the way in the back. The mushy tomato you paid too much money for and don't want to throw away even though you're not going to eat it.
If you're like me, you'll also have a bag full of vegetable odds and ends that you keep in the freezer -- the stems of mushrooms, onion ends and peels, celery tops, chunks of broccoli stem. I hate throwing away bits of vegetables, and this is the perfect way to get the most out of them.
Break or cut everything into halves or thirds, or just throw it in whole. Whatever you like. If you have some ginger moldering around, peel it and toss it in. Maybe a couple of cloves of garlic, too -- just smash them with the heel of your palm or a knife, and throw in the garlic and paper both.
Don't worry about peeling anything -- you'll be straining this soup. If your colander has big holes, you might want to core/seed the tomatoes and peppers. I usually strain my broth through a fine mesh strainer similar to this one by Oxo
, because that way I don't need to worry about (a) picking up a heavy pot of broth to pour through a colander into another pot or (b) seeding vegetables.
Side note: I don't recommend vegetables like potatoes or celeriac or rutabagas for broth-making. They don't bring too much flavor to this party, and are better put to use in mash or actual soups.
Now that all your veg are in the pot, fill it up with water! I suggest going for 4 - 5 quarts. Cover the pot, put it on a burner turned to medium-high, and set your timer for one hour. Check it at an hour, and if it doesn't look delicious enough, let it keep cooking. Don't cook it past two hours, though.
When it's finished, the color of your broth should be significantly different from the color of regular water. (That link is a picture) Depending on which vegetables you've used, your broth could be more golden, or more orange, or more green. As long as it's somewhat dark in color, it is fine.
Strain your broth. I like to use a ladle and my fine mesh sieve; I just put the sieve over my second stock pot and ladle broth into it until most of the broth is out of the first pot and into the second. (That link is a picture.)
Shake your colander or sieve out, but don't press on the veg. That will make your broth cloudy.
Here's the amazing thing: your vegetables probably aren't done! You can easily put the veg in your sieve back into the pot, fill up the pot with another 4 - 5 quarts of water, and put the pot back on the stove, covered, for another 1 - 2 hours to get even more broth out of those veg. (That link is a picture.) It might be slightly lighter in color; for a stronger broth, after two hours, take the cover off and let it reduce down a little before straining.
I tend to either use the broth right away, or cover the pot of strained broth and stick it in the fridge overnight so it can cool off. Once it's cool, I do two things: freeze it in large quantities in plastic quart containers or plastic freezer bags, and put some of it into ice cube trays. After the broth freezes in the ice cube trays, I decant into plastic bags, and then I have premeasured broth for mashed potatoes or whatever.
My recommended veg combination (aka the combination I use most often) is 4 - 8 stalks of celery, 2 - 4 regular-sized carrots, the ends of 2 or 3 onions, and the stems of about 12 ounces of mushrooms. (Not 12 ounces of stems, although that would make a delicious broth, too!)
At some point, we also had some dried mushrooms in our fridge that we weren't going to use for anything, so I would throw a few of those in as well, for a much stronger broth.
But, of course, any veg will do -- once I made broth with two heads of celery that had been left in the back of the fridge, and a couple of old onions. It was gloriously delicious.
You'll notice that I don't include any herbs or salt or pepper in this broth. That's because the broth reduces a bit as it cooks, so any herbs or salt that taste good when the broth is watery at the beginning will be strong and overpowering and gross by the end. I suggest saving the salt, pepper, herbs, and whatnot for later, when you're making soup out of the broth. If you plan to serve the broth plain, salt it at the table, not in the pot.
...Now that you've made broth, it's time to use it in soup! My favorite soup right now is a pasta fagioli (say it like you're from Brooklyn: pasta fazool) based on a recipe from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein
. I can't recommend this cookbook enough -- the basic recipes are awesome, and I've really enjoyed adapting them to my family's tastes.
Pasta Fagioli
adapted from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein
Ingredients:
some olive oil
1 large onion, diced or chopped (however you like to eat onion)
2 carrots, chopped or diced (however you like to eat carrots)
2 stalks of celery, chopped (etc.)
6 cloves of garlic, grated
2 28-ounce cans of diced tomatoes (although sometimes I do a can of diced + a can of crushed for a more tomato-y soup)
4 cups of veg broth
4 cups of soaked/prepped cannellini beans, or 2 19-ounce cans of cannellini beans (the white beans)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (less if you like a milder soup; more if you like a spicier soup)
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
In 3 quart pot, heat some oil (3 or 4 tablespoons) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until softened, about 10 or 15 minutes. At 8 or 9 minutes, add the grated garlic and stir, then add the cans of tomatoes with their juices, the broth, the beans, thyme, and red pepper.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer the soup for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Bring the soup back to a boil and add the pasta. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for 10 - 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the pasta is finished to how you like it (soft, al dente, whatever), serve!
My family doesn't add salt or pepper, but instead liberal sprinklings of romano or parmesan cheese to the top.
If you don't eat all the soup in one go, remember that the pasta will absorb a lot of water and get soggy. We like it that way, but if you don't, you can cook the pasta separately and add it to each individual bowl as you serve. If you are a meatish person, think about shredding leftover turkey or chicken and adding that to your bowl, or some Italian sausages.
This soup stores really well -- it will last several days in the fridge, or fora million years about three months in the freezer.
Every Friday during supper, we talk about what we're going to eat for suppers and lunches the upcoming week. We make a menu and we make a grocery list based around it. There are several really reliable recipes that we all enjoy the heck out of, but, of course, I have some rules that I try not to deviate from. For example, I don't make more than one pasta dish per week. That dish rotates -- usually it's either baked ziti, stuffed shells, or mac and cheese.
Another example is there must be two fruits or vegetables with every meal. If we're having baked ziti, the tomatoes in the sauce count, but we'll usually also have salad or crudite. Another example is tonight: we had a frittata with onions and mushrooms, and a side dish of steamed broccoli with Mornay (cheese) sauce on top. Supper on Friday is going to be Morningstar Farms chicken patties on sandwiches (with lettuce and tomatoes and pickles), with roasted cauliflower as a side dish.
The exception to the 2 fruits/veg rule is soup, since usually we're having some kind of vegetable-based soup.
I almost never use vegetable broth out of a box. For one thing, it's extremely salty. For another, it's just... well, I find it personally unappealing. And I have the privilege of having the time and the vegetables to make broth from scratch. It's actually extremely easy.
Delicious Vegetable Broth
The trick to making a delicious vegetable broth is the vegetables. Does that sound too easy? It is stunningly easy, especially if you buy vegetables that you forget to eat or that get lost in the shuffle. (Even the best planning doesn't account for vagaries in what people feel like eating on any given day -- we may think we're going to eat two heads of celery in one week because that's what we ate the week before, and then we spend the week eating tomatoes and avocados!)
Go through your fridge and pull out the old, limp vegetables. Dried-out carrots. Floppy celery. Lingering halves of onions. The asparagus you kept saying you were going to make, but never got around to. The wrinkled bell pepper tucked all the way in the back. The mushy tomato you paid too much money for and don't want to throw away even though you're not going to eat it.
If you're like me, you'll also have a bag full of vegetable odds and ends that you keep in the freezer -- the stems of mushrooms, onion ends and peels, celery tops, chunks of broccoli stem. I hate throwing away bits of vegetables, and this is the perfect way to get the most out of them.
Break or cut everything into halves or thirds, or just throw it in whole. Whatever you like. If you have some ginger moldering around, peel it and toss it in. Maybe a couple of cloves of garlic, too -- just smash them with the heel of your palm or a knife, and throw in the garlic and paper both.
Don't worry about peeling anything -- you'll be straining this soup. If your colander has big holes, you might want to core/seed the tomatoes and peppers. I usually strain my broth through a fine mesh strainer similar to this one by Oxo
, because that way I don't need to worry about (a) picking up a heavy pot of broth to pour through a colander into another pot or (b) seeding vegetables.Side note: I don't recommend vegetables like potatoes or celeriac or rutabagas for broth-making. They don't bring too much flavor to this party, and are better put to use in mash or actual soups.
Now that all your veg are in the pot, fill it up with water! I suggest going for 4 - 5 quarts. Cover the pot, put it on a burner turned to medium-high, and set your timer for one hour. Check it at an hour, and if it doesn't look delicious enough, let it keep cooking. Don't cook it past two hours, though.
When it's finished, the color of your broth should be significantly different from the color of regular water. (That link is a picture) Depending on which vegetables you've used, your broth could be more golden, or more orange, or more green. As long as it's somewhat dark in color, it is fine.
Strain your broth. I like to use a ladle and my fine mesh sieve; I just put the sieve over my second stock pot and ladle broth into it until most of the broth is out of the first pot and into the second. (That link is a picture.)
Shake your colander or sieve out, but don't press on the veg. That will make your broth cloudy.
Here's the amazing thing: your vegetables probably aren't done! You can easily put the veg in your sieve back into the pot, fill up the pot with another 4 - 5 quarts of water, and put the pot back on the stove, covered, for another 1 - 2 hours to get even more broth out of those veg. (That link is a picture.) It might be slightly lighter in color; for a stronger broth, after two hours, take the cover off and let it reduce down a little before straining.
I tend to either use the broth right away, or cover the pot of strained broth and stick it in the fridge overnight so it can cool off. Once it's cool, I do two things: freeze it in large quantities in plastic quart containers or plastic freezer bags, and put some of it into ice cube trays. After the broth freezes in the ice cube trays, I decant into plastic bags, and then I have premeasured broth for mashed potatoes or whatever.
My recommended veg combination (aka the combination I use most often) is 4 - 8 stalks of celery, 2 - 4 regular-sized carrots, the ends of 2 or 3 onions, and the stems of about 12 ounces of mushrooms. (Not 12 ounces of stems, although that would make a delicious broth, too!)
At some point, we also had some dried mushrooms in our fridge that we weren't going to use for anything, so I would throw a few of those in as well, for a much stronger broth.
But, of course, any veg will do -- once I made broth with two heads of celery that had been left in the back of the fridge, and a couple of old onions. It was gloriously delicious.
You'll notice that I don't include any herbs or salt or pepper in this broth. That's because the broth reduces a bit as it cooks, so any herbs or salt that taste good when the broth is watery at the beginning will be strong and overpowering and gross by the end. I suggest saving the salt, pepper, herbs, and whatnot for later, when you're making soup out of the broth. If you plan to serve the broth plain, salt it at the table, not in the pot.
...Now that you've made broth, it's time to use it in soup! My favorite soup right now is a pasta fagioli (say it like you're from Brooklyn: pasta fazool) based on a recipe from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein
. I can't recommend this cookbook enough -- the basic recipes are awesome, and I've really enjoyed adapting them to my family's tastes.Pasta Fagioli
adapted from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein
Ingredients:
some olive oil
1 large onion, diced or chopped (however you like to eat onion)
2 carrots, chopped or diced (however you like to eat carrots)
2 stalks of celery, chopped (etc.)
6 cloves of garlic, grated
2 28-ounce cans of diced tomatoes (although sometimes I do a can of diced + a can of crushed for a more tomato-y soup)
4 cups of veg broth
4 cups of soaked/prepped cannellini beans, or 2 19-ounce cans of cannellini beans (the white beans)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (less if you like a milder soup; more if you like a spicier soup)
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
In 3 quart pot, heat some oil (3 or 4 tablespoons) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until softened, about 10 or 15 minutes. At 8 or 9 minutes, add the grated garlic and stir, then add the cans of tomatoes with their juices, the broth, the beans, thyme, and red pepper.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer the soup for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Bring the soup back to a boil and add the pasta. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for 10 - 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the pasta is finished to how you like it (soft, al dente, whatever), serve!
My family doesn't add salt or pepper, but instead liberal sprinklings of romano or parmesan cheese to the top.
If you don't eat all the soup in one go, remember that the pasta will absorb a lot of water and get soggy. We like it that way, but if you don't, you can cook the pasta separately and add it to each individual bowl as you serve. If you are a meatish person, think about shredding leftover turkey or chicken and adding that to your bowl, or some Italian sausages.
This soup stores really well -- it will last several days in the fridge, or for
no subject
also this soup sounds wonderful. Thank you!
no subject
I actually got the idea for freezing the veg from Nigella, who many many years ago mentioned on one of her tv shows that she freezes chicken carcasses and when she has a bunch of them, she uses them for stock. I immediately began doing this with vegetables!
(I also do it with egg whites -- if I am making anything that requires just yolk, I separate the eggs and freeze the whites in zip-top bags, labeled with the number of whites and the date. Then I can defrost and use for angel food cake!)