Homemade vegetable stock cubes, more economical and healthier!
Say goodbye to industrial stock cubes, and say hello to homemade! Why buy cubes full of additives when you can make them yourself with simple, healthy, seasonal ingredients? Here, we rely on fresh vegetables, fragrant herbs and a touch of spices for 100% natural, ultra-tasty results. As well as being economical and anti-waste, this recipe means you'll always have the perfect base on hand to spice up your soups, risottos, sauces and stews. How does it work? Blend, reduce, shape... and pop in the freezer ;)
Ingredients
Materials
- 1 knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 chopper/blender
- 1 stewpan
- 1 immersion blender
- 1 ice cube tray / 1 baking tray
- freezer
- freezer bag
Preparation
Wash and remove ends from vegetables. Remove skin from onion and garlic.
Chop roughly.
Chop the carrots, leeks, mushrooms, onion, garlic cloves and parsley as finely as possible (this will reduce cooking time to a minimum).
Pour olive oil into a stewpan. Add vegetables.
Stir to combine.
Add seasonings and stir.
Place the bouquet garni in the stewpan.
Cover the stewpan and cook for 30 minutes over low/medium heat, stirring regularly.
Remove the bouquet garni and blend everything directly in the stewpan using an immersion blender.
Transfer to an ice cube tray and place in the freezer.
Remove the cubes from the tray and transfer to a freezer bag. Keep in the freezer until ready to use.
If you don't have an ice cube tray, transfer to a baking sheet.
Place the tray in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Make cubes in the mixture and place in the freezer for 2 hours.
Separate the cubes, transfer to one or more freezer bags and store in the freezer.
You'll have homemade, additive-free bouillon cubes ready to use all year round!
Observations
How many bouillon cubes does this recipe yield?
You'll get 2.6 lbs of stock cubes. You can then cut them into smaller or larger cubes for different uses.
Which vegetables to use?
We've used seasonal vegetables here. Avoid tomatoes and cucumbers, which are rich in water and unsuitable for this recipe. If you wish to add tomato, use tomato paste, which is less watery.
Is this recipe waste-free?
You can use all your vegetables, even the peelings, to avoid throwing them away. We have removed the skin from the onion and garlic and removed the ends, but you can use them if you wish.
Which spices to use?
You can use the spices of your choice to make stock cubes to suit your culinary tastes or recipes. You can use Indian or Mexican spice blends, for example.
Is this recipe economical?
First of all, you'll be able to reuse peelings, but also vegetables that are a little wilted to "save" them. By using seasonal vegetables, you'll save money. Making your own stock cubes will take a little time, but on average they'll cost half as much as store-bought ones.
Store-bought stock cubes often contain additives, which you can avoid by making your own!
How can I store homemade stock cubes?
You can store them in the freezer as explained in the recipe, or pour the paste into a jar and cover with a thin layer of olive oil to keep in the fridge. All you have to do is remove the desired quantity for your recipes.
