Basic Homemade Broth

 

I get in the habit of making stock when I have certain ingredients available even though I may not need stock at that very moment. I make it and freeze it. So anytime I make shrimp for dinner, I use the shells to make stock! Yum! So you may see me cooking fried shrimp for po'boys one night, but you will also see my stock pot boiling away off to the side. I'm a great multi-tasker!! I do the same with turkey, chicken, steak or lamb bones.  Or when I need to boil chicken to shred for a recipe. With my lovely stock making habit, guess what I always have on hand? Yep! Stock ready to go and I can't seem to have enough on hand. 

INGREDIENTS:

Shells from 1 lb of Shrimp/lobster/crab, or steak bones, or lamb bones, or ham bones, or chicken/turkey bones, or vegetables only

1/2 bell pepper

1/2 onion

1 celery stick

1 carrot

2 garlic cloves

1 bay leaf

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Handful of fresh mixed herbs like parsley, thyme, oregano, basil, dill, sage etec.

1 gallon of water 

Optional: plus pretty much any vegetable in my fridge that needs to be used like a tomato, fresh herbs, jalapeno, red onions, a little cabbage, a couple of brussels sprouts, shallot, mini sweet peppers, potato etec. 

In a stockpot add all the ingredients halved. No need to cut small as liquid will be strained. Add water to cover and boil for 1 hour or more. Add water as it evaporates during cooking time. Make with ingredients listed only or add the optional vegetables if you have some on hand that need to be used. More vegetables equals more flavor. No fresh herbs on hand? No problem just use dried herbs 1/2 tsp of each. 

Freeze in Gallon size zip locks or portion 2 cups in quart size bags.