Back to Basics: Easy Vegetable Broth Recipe
Get back to basics with this easy vegetable broth recipe, both delicious and versatile. Watch as the Foodie Sisters in Italy, Benedetta and Valeria, take you through their preferred method of making brodo vegetale in this week’s video recipe.
A good vegetable broth recipe has a place in every Italian kitchen. This simple infusion of fresh veggies left to gently simmer for hours creates a liquid bursting with flavor, aroma, and nutrients, providing the backbone for many dishes.
The recipe takes minimal preparation time for the ingredients, with just a couple of hours needed for the stock to boil. Much like the recipe for beef stock, try making this once a week and keeping it in the fridge or freezer for whenever you need it.
Valeria and Benedetta follow their trusted cookbook Il Talismano della Felicità. The recipe uses the usual broth ingredients: potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion. It also adds fresh spinach and a clove for extra flavor.
The preparation is simple. Over two hours, water and vegetables create a golden-green broth. Use it as a base for risotto, stew, soups, or with pastina or tortellini topped with Parmigiano cheese.
For best results, use the freshest ingredients. Wash the vegetables well. Peel the potatoes but do not chop them. The long cooking time breaks them down, making the broth thick and starchy.
Vegetable Broth Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 liters (101 oz) cold water
- 30g (1 oz) salt
- 3 medium potatoes
- 200g (7 oz) fresh spinach
- 2 onions
- 3 carrots
- 1 celery stalk
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 clove
Instructions
- Prepare the Water: First, put three liters of cold water into a large saucepan. Then, add the salt (10g of salt per liter of water).
- Add the Vegetables: Next, peel the potatoes, onions, and carrots. Add them whole to the pan with celery, tomatoes, spinach, and one clove.
- Simmer: Then, bring the water to a boil, cover, and simmer for two hours.
- Strain the Broth: Finally, pass the broth through a fine sieve. Use it with pasta or as a base for soups, stews, and risotto.
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