Yields 2 quarts.

Vegetable Stock is a broth made by simmering vegetables in water until they are soft and their flavors and nutrients have been released into the liquid. Then the stock is poured through a strainer and the vegetables are either discarded or used, pureed, to thicken a soup.

The best vegetables to use in stock are carrots, peeled onions, celery, zucchini, potatoes and squash. We often throw in chunks of apples or pears to sweeten the stock a little - especially if the carrots we're using aren't very sweet. It's wise to avoid the strongly flavored vegetables of the cabbage family, such as broccoli and cauliflower, and turnips, rutabagas and kohlrabi - and vegetables with bleeding colors, such as beets, red cabbage and greens (unless you intend to make a borscht or cream of greens soup). Green peppers and eggplant will make the stock bitter. Be cautious about adding lots of tomatoes or other acidic fruits or vegetables to the stock, because they may curdle the soup if you add milk or other dairy products later on.

Wash all vegetables thoroughly, especially root vegetables. Making stock is the perfect solution for vegetables that are too unattractive cosmeticallly to be used in other ways. Leftover carrot sticks, parsley stems, and unused halves of onion can all be tossed into the pot.

Put all of the ingredients into a large pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Strain and use.

For a spicier stock throw in some garlic cloves, skins and all, and a small amount of tomato. For a specifically Asian broth, add ginger, scallions and shiitake mushrooms. Or, make it sweet for a carrot puree or Scandinavian fruit soup with the addition of sweet potato or winter squash.