Now with extra "oooh, mommy!"

When I get a recipe, chances are good that I won't leave well enough alone, and insist on putting my own little spin on things. I'm basing this off a mushroom stock recipe that you can find here.

What You Need!

2 teaspoons oil
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons tomato puree or tomato paste
1/2 pound chopped baby portabella mushrooms
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
3 cloves of garlic, lightly mashed, skins left on
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 Cups low-sodium vegetable stock
2 Cups water
2 teaspoons dashi powder (I used Ajinomoto Hondashi, from an Asian grocery)
1 teaspoon yellow miso paste (bought at same Asian grocery back in December; waste not, want not)

What You Do With What You Need!

1. Heat the oil in a large pot, then add the onion and carrots and cook over high heat until browned. This is important; if you just 'sweat' the veggies, the stock will end up too sweet; too dark, and it'll taste bitter.
2. Stir in the tomato paste or puree and cook 2 minutes to caramelize it. Keep stirring so it doesn't burn.
3. Stir in all the remaining ingredients (except for the dashi and the miso) and bring to a boil, the reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Skim any scum off the surface.
4. Put a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl (I used my strainer, but also lined it with cheesecloth) and strain the stock. When the last of the liquid's out of it, throw the solids away. They've done their job. Wipe out the pot.
5. Pour the stock back into the pot. Add the dashi and the miso and simmer the stock for another 15 minutes to concentrate the flavors, stirring constantly until the miso dissolves.
6. This makes about 3-4 cups of stock. Use immediately, or cool it and put it in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze it up to 3 months.


VERDICT: Oh, YASS! The carrots bring the sweetness to the table, but nowhere near enough to drown out the earthy flavors from the mushrooms; the vegetable stock added depth, and the dashi and miso added just the right amount of salt (you'll note I used low-sodium stock, and salt's not on the ingredients list). Once this cools, I'm going to portion out into one-cup Ziplock bags and freeze them, so they can act as a base for soup or stew.