Turn veggie scraps into gourmet broth: A flavorful waste-saving tip
The peels of root vegetables contain many valuable nutrients. Most of these typically end up in the trash. However, you can freeze the leftovers, and once you accumulate enough, try cooking a vegetable broth from them for soup, sauce, or risotto. To make the broth tasty, it's helpful to follow a few simple rules.
Broth from leftovers can have a deep, or even more interesting flavor, thanks to the addition of other vegetables that are usually not included in standard soup packs. Anything you meticulously cut off during meal preparation, such as asparagus ends, tough parts of broccoli or cauliflower, or green parts of leeks, can go into the pot. You can also add garlic and onion skins to the broth.
How to store vegetable peels?
If you're considering making broth from leftovers, set aside vegetable peels successively. Ensure they are clean. If you don't wash vegetables before peeling, wash them afterward and dry them on a paper towel. Place them in a zip-lock bag and put them in the freezer. This way, vegetable scraps can be stored for up to 9-12 months. This applies to remnants from carrots, parsley root, celery, green beans, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kohlrabi.
Recipe for broth from leftovers
The broth made from vegetable peels can be a great base for vegetarian soups or sauces. If you're unsure what to do with the excess, you can make frozen flavor cubes from it. Just add fresh herbs and place them in small containers in the freezer.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of frozen vegetable scraps
- 2 quarts of water
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 allspice berries
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Transfer the frozen vegetable scraps to a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Add bay leaves and allspice.
- Once the broth starts to boil, reduce the heat and simmer on low heat for about 1 hour.
- When the broth becomes aromatic, strain it through a fine sieve to separate the scraps. You can now discard them.
- Finally, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ideas for dishes based on leftover broth
The aromatic vegetable broth can be used as a base for cream soups. It works excellently for cooking rice for risotto or grains for casseroles. You can add a bit of broth to pancakes, fritters, or sauces. It will make even simple dishes deeper and more flavorful.
