Roasted Vegetable Broth (vegetarian)

As I look back on the last food and wine pairing events, it occurs to me that Mrs. Vino is NOT showing enough love to vegetarians! So, we will be making sure that there is at least one vegetarian/vegan option at every pairing event, AND the March 5th First Friday will be Very Vegetarian.

In the mean time, for the Friends of Morovino who enjoy vegetarian cuisine, here is Mrs. Vino's Roasted Vegetable Broth. Try it in lieu of chicken broth in the corn chowder recipe on www.Morovino.com. Awesome!

Roasted Vegetable Broth
3 onions (red, yellow or a mix of the two) cut in quarters
5 carrots cut in large chunks (like 3")
3 leeks washed thoroughly and cut in chunks
3 stalks celery, cut in chunks
2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
1 large bay leaf

First, these veggies are just guidelines. This stock also works with bell peppers, turnips, rutabegas. Try it with what is seasonal. It should always have the onions, though!

Now, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Put the cut veggies in a heavy roasting pan and drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil (like 1T). Roast uncovered for 1 hour or until the veggies start to carmelize a bit. Stir them every once in a while.

Put the roasted veggies in a stock pot and add 8 cups cold water. Bring the water/veggies to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 1 hour. Strain. Cool the stock to room temperature and refrigerate. This will keep for 4ish days in the fridge or a couple of weeks if you freeze it.

Use this instead of chicken stock in any light soup.