Basic Pressure Cooker Vegetable Stock Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 cups of water
• 1 t olive or avocado oil (optional)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon each of 3 or 4 spices of choice (for example 1/2 teaspoon each rosemary, thyme, basil and oregano)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 gallon freezer bag of vegetable scraps (for example, red and yellow onion scraps and peel; garlic scraps and peel; asparagus stems; tomatoes; lettuce – romaine, endive, radicchio, etc.; carrot and celery ends; bell or sweet pepper ends and seeds; mushroom stems; spinach; zucchini) or freeze vegetables you don’t think you’ll use soon and are about to turn.

Instructions

1. Thaw (or partially thaw) frozen veggie scraps.
2. Add oil and water to the pressure cooker and heat on high (uncovered).
3. Add all spices and salt.
4. While the water is heating coarsely chop your vegetables and scraps (I toss in a full onion in quarter pieces, halved garlic cloves unpeeled, etc.).
5. Add the vegetables to the pressure cooker, cover and bring to pressure.
6. Cook at pressure for 10 minutes and allow for a natural release.
   

   The veggies and scraps, post pressure-cooking

7. Pour the stock through a cheesecloth in a large container. Use tongs to squeeze out every bit a veggie broth possible.

   

8. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in a plastic bag in the freezer
   

   The broth

The pressure cooker is my go-to method for making delicious, homemade vegetable stock. If you want to use a crockpot, cook on low for 8 hours. For a stove top stock, bring to a light boil, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for an hour or longer.

Back tomorrow with the first recipe I made with this particular batch of homemade broth. Two words:  Vegan Sausage.