Roasted Mushroom Stock

Serves
makes About 3 Quarts
Time
2 hours 30 minutes

This brown mushroom stock roasts cremini mushrooms, which are darker than button mushrooms, to color the liquid. Roasted mushrooms have a meaty flavor, making this stock an ideal substitute for an animal stock.

This recipe is adapted from Rachael Mamane's book Mastering Stocks and Broths: A Comprehensive Culinary Approach Using Traditional Techniques and No-Waste Methods (Chelsea Green Publishing 2017) and is printed with permission from the publisher.

What You Will Need

Ingredients

1 ¹⁄₂ lb. (680 g) cremini mushrooms, including stems
¹⁄₂ lb. (225 g) white onions, cut into small dice
1 lb. (455 g) leeks, dark green parts removed, cut into small dice
¹⁄₂ lb. (225 g) carrots, cut into small dice
¹⁄₂ lb. (225 g) parsnips, cut into small dice
¹⁄₂ small fennel bulb, coarsely chopped, fronds removed
¹⁄₂ head garlic, unpeeled
3 tbsp. grapeseed oil
1 tbsp. dry vermouth (optional)
2 sprigs marjoram
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
12 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Sea salt to taste

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Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F . In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms mushrooms, white onion, leeks, carrots, parsnips, fennel, and garlic with the grapeseed oil to coat. Spread the vegetables in a single layer over two sheet pans. Roast for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Step 2

Transfer the vegetables to a medium stockpot, scraping the pan with a spatula to loosen any brown bits. Add the vermouth, 3 quarts cold water, marjoram, parsley, peppercorns, and bay leaves, then set the pot over medium heat. Slowly bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat to maintain a simmer, skimming the surface as soon as scum appears. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. Turn off the heat and rest the stock on the stove for 10 minutes. Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set it over a heat resistant container large enough to hold the liquid contents of the pot. Carefully ladle the stock from the pot into the strainer, leaving any cloudy liquid at the bottom of the pot. Discard the solids.

Step 3

If a more flavorful stock is desired, rinse out the pot, return the strained stock to the pot and set it back over medium-low heat. Gently reduce the liquid until the desired concentration is achieved, then season to taste with sea salt. Chill the stock in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally to expedite the cooling process. Refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze in smaller containers for longer storage.

Preheat the oven to 375°F . In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms mushrooms, white onion, leeks, carrots, parsnips, fennel, and garlic with the grapeseed oil to coat. Spread the vegetables in a single layer over two sheet pans. Roast for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Transfer the vegetables to a medium stockpot, scraping the pan with a spatula to loosen any brown bits. Add the vermouth, 3 quarts cold water, marjoram, parsley, peppercorns, and bay leaves, then set the pot over medium heat. Slowly bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat to maintain a simmer, skimming the surface as soon as scum appears. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. Turn off the heat and rest the stock on the stove for 10 minutes. Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set it over a heat resistant container large enough to hold the liquid contents of the pot. Carefully ladle the stock from the pot into the strainer, leaving any cloudy liquid at the bottom of the pot. Discard the solids.
If a more flavorful stock is desired, rinse out the pot, return the strained stock to the pot and set it back over medium-low heat. Gently reduce the liquid until the desired concentration is achieved, then season to taste with sea salt. Chill the stock in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally to expedite the cooling process. Refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze in smaller containers for longer storage.