A Pot-full of Nutrients
August 13th 2009 01:03
My slow-cooker has been a saviour during those long working days. Though you need a bit of prep time for a slow-cooked meal, it’s worth it – the smell that greets you even before you walk through the door is enough for you to keep at it.
I make all sorts with my slow-cooker. One of my favourite is vegetable stock; every fortnight or so because you can never have too much stock in the fridge/freezer. Homemade stock is the best because it's low in salt, and free from preservatives and additives – simply au naturel.
What you need:
3 ears of corn
Half a bunch of celery
2 carrots
2 tomatoes
2 bay leaves
Garlic cloves – as many as you like, lightly crushed
Cracked pepper and salt to taste
Water – enough to cover the top of the ingredients; I’ve a 5-litre slow-cooker but by the time the vegetables go in, you probably only need about 2 1/2 litres of water.
1…Thoroughly wash/peel the vegetables as necessary.
2…Break each ear of corn in half.
3…Cut the celery and carrots into chunks – I include some of the celery leaves for additional flavour.
4…Quarter the tomatoes.
5…Place all vegetables into the slow-cooker, with the corn around the pot.
6…Add salt and pepper to your liking – don’t add too much as you’ll get a lot of flavour from the vegetables; you can always adjust taste level again when the stock is done. Place enough water to cover the top of the vegetables.
7…Best to place on ‘low’ for at least 6-8 hours, or you can put on ‘high’ for about 5 hours.
Yield: two-three generous serves of stock, depending on what you do with it.
Tips…
…Cool remaining stock and freeze it immediately in freezer-friendly containers. It’s supposed to be good for a few months – I tend to use mine up quickly; if you don’t, you probably aren’t cooking enough
…Filling up an ice-cube tray is also great for times when you just need a bit of stock – e.g. stir-fry, a light sauce or even for deglazing a pan.
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It's difficult to go back to using commercial stocks once you start making your own. I find that the commercial stocks tend to smell and taste *slightly artificial* even though they say it's 100% natural. If you have to, I think the stock granules or powder are better than the liquid ones.