No-Bones-About-It Vegetarian Broth

Why ever would you want to take on the task of making your own vegetarian broth? Well, it's fresh, it's better than anything in a can or a carton, and really, it's not that hard. The process is simple: use a food processor to allow the maximum amount of flavor to be extracted from the veg in a minimum amount of time. Then boil. Strain. Simmer. Done.

Soups taste so much better this way. This broth is great in tomato sauce, curries, grits, and beans as well. You can make a big batch of this broth, use some, and freeze the remainder until you need it.

No-Bones-About-It Vegetarian Broth

1 onion (roughly chopped)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 carrots (roughly chopped)

4 ribs celery (keep leaves on)

2 bell peppers

2 roma tomatoes

full bulb of garlic (unpeeled -- remove the root end!)

parsley (a handful or two)

5 springs thyme

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons red miso

palmful of whole black peppercorns

4 quarts water

1 lemon, halved

Sauté the chopped onion in olive oil and on medium-high heat until it's translucent and starting to brown around the edges. In batches, process all the vegetables and garlic in the food processor. Put all the veg and garlic, herbs, miso and pepper into a large soup pot, and then fill it with 4 quarts of water. Squeeze the lemon halves into the pot and then drop them right in with the other ingredients. Bring it all up to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Let it cool and then strain out the veg. Return the liquid to the soup pot and reduce by half on medium-high heat. This could take up to 30 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

*A variation on this is to add 12 ounces roasted or dried mushrooms; this will make it more 'beefy' and savory.