Rich Vegetable Stock

Making homemade vegetable stock for the first time is always an event worth documenting. I used this stock in a Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie for Thanksgiving. Though you may be tempted to use a boxed veggie-broth, making it yourself will produce an exponentially more tasty outcome.

This recipe is from Gourmet magazine's "Resetting the Table" November Edition.

Rich Vegetable Stock

1/4 lb mixed portabella and cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 onion, left unpeeled and cut into wedges

3 carrots, cut thickly

1 red bell pepper, cut thickly

2 garlic cloves. coarsely chopped

4 flat-leaf parsley sprigs

3 thyme sprigs

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup dry red wine

4 cups water

1 bay leaf

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss vegetables, garlic and herbs in olive oil in a large roasting pan. Roast for 35-40 minutes.
Straddle the pan across two burners on medium heat. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring 1 minute. Add wine and boil, stirring and scraping up the brown bits for 1 minute.
Transfer vegetables with juices to a 4-qt pot. Add water, bay leaf and 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer, covered for 45 minutes. Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on and then discarding the solids.
Stock keeps, chilled, 1 week.

Risotto with Roasted Vegetables

After visiting the farmers market one Saturday afternoon, I became smitten with the produce sold at the booths. Armies of butternut squash stood tall, while squat eggplants lingered nearby. Red peppers were large and beautiful, streaked with green slashes of color- hallmarks of their idiosyncrasy and charm.

To really showcase the goodies, my roommate and I constructed a glorious meal out of risotto, spiked with red wine, and paired with roasted vegetables. Pretty straight forward, but elegant in it's own right.

Try to roast the very best vegetables because their flavor will become concentrated and add immensely to the dish. We topped this with a smidgen of goat cheese to add a creamy depth to the meal.

Risotto with Roasted Vegetables

1 cup arborio rice

1 teaspoon salt

lots of freshly ground pepper

1 box organic vegetable broth

A few splashes of red wine

1 eggplant, sliced into chunks

1 butternut squash, chunked

1 onion, sliced and chunked

2 zucchinis or yellow squash, slices and quartered

2 red peppers, sliced and chunked

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons dried basil or oregano

Organic, high quality goat cheese (optional)


Directions
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place vegetables on a large baking sheet and massage with olive oil. Sprinkle salt, pepper and dried herbs over. Put in oven for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1 cup of vegetable broth. When it comes to a boil, add arborio rice. Reduce heat to medium. Stirring constantly, keep adding more broth when the liquid is absorbed by the rice. This should take a relatively long time, around 30 minutes, but keep stirring! When the rice has absorbed ALMOST as much as it can, add a few splashes of wine for more flavor.
When the liquid is gone and the rice is tender with a slight bite, it is done! Serve in a bowl with roasted vegetables on top. Sprinkle goat cheese on the hot rice and vegetables so it melts a little.
Can you say yum?