The backbone of a rich vegetarian Thanksgiving (read: Sidesgiving)? A flavorful vegetable stock.
Sound the vegetable stock alarm! |
We're now exactly two weeks out from the big day, and the game-planning window has narrowed to a transom. But if it still feels too early to begin chipping away at your Thanksgiving feast, might I offer a counterargument? Now is precisely the time to make vegetable stock. |
You don't need every vegetable in the produce aisle for a robust stock. Onions, garlic and mushrooms go a long way, as does tomato paste, in Ali Slagle's new rendition. Still, you can use this as an opportunity to clean out the crisper as you make space for the big Thanksgiving grocery haul that lies ahead. To Ali's simple ratio of alliums and mushrooms, you can add: |
- Up to four cups of chopped vegetables, including but not limited to leeks, scallions, celery, celery root, tomatoes, fennel, parsnips, corn and carrots — and their stems, leaves and roots — but skip brassicas and squashes
- Umami boosters like soy sauce, kombu, dried mushrooms, Parmesan rinds, vegetable bouillon and nutritional yeast
- Herbs and spices like fresh thyme, parsley or sage; dried or fresh bay leaves; coriander or fennel seeds; peppercorns; ginger; and fresh or dried chiles
|
Once you've simmered and cooled your stock, divide it among a few of your preferred freezer-safe containers or zip-top bags for easy thawing. |
But you don't have to wait until Thanksgiving to cook with your liquid gold. Use it in Alexa Weibel's 30-minute carrot risotto with chile crisp, a luxurious, autumnal meal that is so much easier than "risotto" ever implies. Or, you know, make something soupy. With so much hearty eating in the weeks ahead, I can't resist the pull of the light, warm and restorative properties of Yewande Komolafe's brothy Thai curry with silken tofu and herbs. |
 | | Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. |
|
 | | David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. |
|
 | | Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Maeve Sheridan. |
|
Let's keep these good Thanksgiving vibes going, shall we? It's Recipe Matchmaker time, holiday edition. Send a brief — emphasis on brief! — email to theveggie@nytimes.com with your hyper-specific vegetarian Thanksgiving recipe requests or questions, and please use the subject line "Thanksgiving Recipe Matchmaker." |
I'll feature a few of them in next week's newsletter. Thanks for reading! |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment