Mushroom Stock (or Broth)

Yield: 7 to 8 cups

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 green leek top, washed and chopped
4 garlic cloves, in their skin, crushed with the side of a knife blade
1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon peppercorns
½ pound white mushrooms, sliced
2 small carrots, chopped
6 parsley sprigs, coarsely chopped
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh marjoram or oregano sprigs
2 fresh sage leaves
2 bay leaves
9 cups cold water

Directions:

Pour just enough water into the stockpot to start onions cooking. Add the onion, leek top, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, and salt. Give the vegetables a stir, then cover the pot and cook gently over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cover with 9 cups cold water. Bring the stock to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Pour the stock through a strainer pressing as much liquid as you can from the vegetables, then discard them.

From “Fields of Greens” by Annie Somerville, published in Epicurious, in April 1993.

Posted as “Mushroom Stock” at www.epicurious.com.

Mushroom Stock (also known as Mushroom Broth) is an essential ingredient in numerous recipes such as vegetarian cassoulet.