Vegetable Stock Recipe

2 bunches of celery with leaves chopped in 2" pieces
3 large carrots peeled and chopped in 2" pieces and quartered
3 large parsnips peeled and chopped in 2" pieces and quartered
1 pound of button mushrooms roughly chopped
3 large portobello mushrooms in large slices
8 ounces of shitaki mushrooms roughly chopped
1 package 0.75 ounces of dried and reconstituted exotic mushrooms for stir-fry with liquid
4 large leeks cleaned and split lengthwise and cut into 3" pieces
-- water from soaking 1 lb. great northern beans (use the beans for something else)
6 large onions with roots cut off and quartered including skins (for color)
1 head of garlic cloves, each clove mashed under a knife blade
20 peppercorns
-- any cheese rinds (I save them in the freezer for stocks and soups)
4 bay leaves
1 1/2 - 2 cups of low sodium V8 juice
2 cups of a nice white wine (maybe a little sherry too)
5 sprigs of rosemary
10 sprigs of thyme
-- light soy sauce for salting to taste (I use very little as freezing the stock seems to
intensify the salt taste)
1 tablespoon or more of asian fish sauce adds umami but skip it and the cheese rinds for vegans

Put half of the celery, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, onions and garlic on a baking sheet and roast until they begin to caramelize. I don't roast any of the leeks. The mushrooms will need to come out of the oven before the rest are finished. When the veggies are done roasting, add them to a stock pot along with the remaining raw vegetables. Add the bean soaking liquid and all of the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Fill the pot with enough cold water to cover it all by an inch. With medium-high heat, bring it to barely boiling, then bring it down to a very low simmer and continue simmering for an hour, no more.

When all is cool enough to handle, strain it through cheese cloth (you may need to change the cheese cloth once or twice). At this point you may choose to reduce the stock to intensify the flavor, though it might be just fine already. Clarifying the stock is up to you. If you want it clearer, add egg whites from several eggs and stir on low heat. The albumin will capture most of the particles. Continue removing and adding egg white until the clarity you want is achieved. I don't normally clarify as I think I lose some flavor doing it. One other ingredient can be added to give it all a more meaty taste and that is nutritional yeast. I think a tablespoon or two is plenty.

Good Luck!