Vegetable stock

Stock is a near-perfect example of an essential cooking technique, which is what these tutorials are all about. Stock is all about creating flavour – transferring and concentrating it in liquid form.

You will need

Vegetable stock:
vegatbles
aromatics
water
Soup:
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 stalk of lemongrass
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 large parsnip, roughly chopped
Handful of goji berries (optional)
Squeeze of lemon
1 heaped teaspoon of honey
Garnish:
3 tablespoons of oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
4 leaves of sage, chiffonade
8 walnut halves, roughly chopped

Vegetable stock:
Simply place your chosen vegetables and aromatics into a pan and cover with cold water
Bring to a boil and then simmer for 40-45 minutes
Strain and use

For the soup:
Fry shallot with a pinch of salt until brown
Add some herbs and spices
Now the carrot and parsnip
Stir it together
Then pour in the stock and just let things simmer again for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely softened
We came back a few minutes in, to add some goji berries for extra zing
Remove the lemongrass stalk, blend the soup until smooth and thick, then serve
Make sure you taste it at this stage, and add more salt if necessary
We added a squeeze of lemon juice and a little honey before service, bringing the flavours together with a balance of sharp and sweet

Garnish:
Heat the oil in a pan and add all the other ingredients
Fry for a minute or 2 until crispy – top the soup and serve!