The best soup starts with a good stock

A good stock is the heart of any good soup. Another benefit of making your own stock is using up all the bits from the garden that would otherwise end up in the compost heap. But let’s take it a step further and make stock cubes.

This is what you need

• A selection of vegetables like potatoes, celery, carrots, onion, peas, spinach, parsnips, fennel, peas, mushrooms, etc.
• Aromatic herbs like garlic, parsley, coriander, basil, spring onions, etc.
• An oil like olive oil or a neutral oil.
• Seasonings like salt will act as a preservative, but other seasonings like onion powder, garlic powder, mushroom powder, turmeric, celery seed, pepper and dried herbs can all add extra flavour.

Avoid cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, or cauliflower, and leeks that will make the stock bitter. remove any damaged material.

What to do

• Wash and chop all the veggies into small cubes. This will allow them to cook faster and more precisely at the same time.
• Cover the bottom of a large pan with olive oil and cook the onions until soft. Add the potatoes and cook for a few more minutes. Then, add the rest of the vegetables. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.
• Use a stick blender to blend all the vegetables in the pan to form a purée.
• Stir in the salt, any finely chopped herbs, and the flavourings you want to add. The salt content will be high – 100 g for 1.5 kg of vegetables. You can experiment with less if you wish.
• Once everything is combined, pour it onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and spread to about 1 cm thick.
• Freeze for several hours before cutting into cubes and placing them in a plastic bag to store them back in the freezer.

Take this recipe one step further and make your stock into a powder. Place the purée in a very thin layer on baking trays lined with baking paper. Bake in a 65°C oven for 2-10 hours until dry and brittle, then blend it in a spice grinder and store it in jars.