Vegetable Bouillon
For the past few years we have made homemade vegetable bouillon in the fall, which we then freeze for winter use. I have never loved freezing the bouillon though, as it takes up valuable freezer space and there is always a concern should the freezer fail. Therefore, this year we decided to go a few steps further and dehydrate the bouillon so we could turn it into powder. I looked online for a recipe, but in the end we combined a few of our favourites instead. John and I joke that this recipe is part of our 3 mile diet: all of the produce was either purchased within this distance of our house, or grown in our vegetable garden.
Roughly chop:
5 leeks
1 shallot
15 carrots
Approximately 20 ribs of celery (I used about a bunch and a half, with a lot of leaves)
10 tomatoes (cored)
6 large cloves garlic
Heat a few tablespoons of good quality olive oil in a heavy pot and add all vegetables.
To this, add:
1 package of nutritional yeast (142 grams)
10 bay leaves
4-5 cups parsley
5 sprigs rosemary (each about 7” long, use leaves only)
10 tablespoons good quality salt
Simmer for approximately an hour/hour and a half until vegetables are soft and liquid has been reduced, then blend in a food processor and spread onto parchment pieces on top of dehydrator racks.
Dehydrate until completely dried and brittle (ours took 2 days), then blend into powder and store in jars.
Mix with hot water and add a few spoonfuls to soups, stews, rice, and other dishes for flavour.
This recipe made about 5 cups of bouillon powder, so I’m going to make another batch this week. Next year I think I will make a few different flavoured bouillons – perhaps one that is Asian-inspired with soy sauce and shiitakes, or even a pho base made with lemongrass, star anise, ginger, etc.
If you have done this, or have another favourite recipe, please share below!
