You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food. Paul Prudhomme
Australians chuck out over two billion dollars worth of fresh food each year.
Wow!
But it is not really surprising is it?
Take this tomato for example….
Ripe, but a little meh.
She’s a little mushy. Past her salad-eating prime, but, in my opinion, she’s just too good for the compost or worm bin.
Thankfully, this underwhelming tomato is perfect for my Scrap Vegetable
Through the course of a week or two, I set aside a container of not-so-fancy vegetables that lives in my freezer.
In it go the past prime tomatoes, parsley stalks, the insides of zucchinis, the tops of the spring onions, the carrot peelings, the celery trimmings, and any other vegetable that I rummage out of the fridge or pantry that is a little tired or wilted.
As soon as the container is full, I make a batch of my Scrap Vegetable Stock Paste.
Scrap Vegetable Stock Paste
You will need
- 2-litre volume of vegetable scraps.*
- 200g of mineral or sea salt**
- 20g peppercorns
- 1 head of garlic
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 big bunch of parsley
Preparation
*I have no floppy carrots or sad onions in my saved stock container this time, so I will add them to the recipe.
** Yes! this Scrap Vegetable Stock Paste is salty. The salt acts as both a seasoning and a preservative, meaning this paste lasts for a while in your fridge. You can knock back the salt if you are sensitive to sodium, but be aware the fridge life will be reduced considerably.
Process all your ingredients except for the peppercorns and parsley in a blender or food processor.
Cook for 20 minutes in a large pot with the lid on, simmer gently and stir frequently.
Take the mix off the heat and using a stick blender, blend in the parsley and peppercorns. Or, wait until cool and process in a blender or food processor.
Your mix should resemble a puree or paste.
Scrape your scrap vegetable paste into a container and keep in the fridge.
To Use
This scrap stock paste can be added directly to sauces, soups and stews. Be sure to stir it in well!
Alternatively, add a tablespoon to 250ml for a cup of vegetable liquid stock, with more or less to taste.
Scrap Vegetable Stock Powder
When I have this stock in excess in my fridge or freezer, (which isn’t all that often) I dehydrate it.
Spread the scrap vegetable stock paste onto your fruit leather mat in your dehydrator, then once it is dry (it will crack and break up as it dehydrates) process in your spice grinder or blender make a stock powder.
Store in an airtight container in your pantry. Again, the salt helps to preserve the powder.
The powder is more concentrated than the paste, so only use 1 teaspoon to 250ml water to make a cup of vegetable stock.
This stock paste has no artificial preservatives, gluten, additives, fillers, oils, or anti-caking agents.
Best of all, all it really costs you is a little bit of salt and spice, while saving your scrappy vegetables from the compost and reviving them in a useful, delicious way!
This stock is one of my fridge and freezer essentials, always on hand and ready to add and enhance the flavour of just about anything you cook.
The Subscriber Resource Library has a Guide to Whole Plant Based Pantry Essentials which helps you stock your pantry with whole, plant-based ingredients so you can cook delicious meals anytime!
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