The Veggie Scraps Hack

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This recipe was written and sent by Fanny Heneault.

“I’ve started making veggie scraps stock when I transitioned to a no-waste lifestyle. I couldn't buy those little stock cubes you get from the grocery store anymore, because they’re all wrapped in plastic and foil. But I still wanted to eat a tasty soup! And to be honest it never occurred to me that this was how stock was made! I couldn’t believe the technic had been forgotten — at least in my family. I was blown away and even more grateful for my choice to go zero waste then, and it is teaching me so much still. How the hell could we have forgotten how to prepare all these amazing recipes which are easy (I’m lucky enough to have a freezer), cheap and so much better for the environment. It takes time but it feels so rewarding to learn new things and to become more resilient.”

Fanny Heneault

About stock

The Maggie stock cube

The German Maggie Stock Cube dates back from 1870 and was originally made out of dried concentrated meat extract.

A large percentage of the available range of stock cubes was gradually made vegan for economical reasons, thanks to the invention of Maltodextrin, a food additive made out of “fermented” corn or wheat. Its use led the stock cube to become a cheap source of carbohydrates, often used to thicken soups and sauces. With its industrialization, the cube was gradually enriched with artificial or natural flavoring as well as salt to mimic the taste of an homemade stock.

The recipe

Free ingredients

Ingredients

Your scraps

Gather the scraps from your vegetables. They must be cleaned first and tasty — you don’t want to use the rotten parts of your tomatoes for instance. You just want the parts you wouldn’t normally eat like: the peels, the skin, the pulp, the stems, the inside of the bell pepper, etc. It can even be veggies that are seating in your fridge and that you know that you’re not going to eat, just chop them up and add them to the mix! Put them in a clean bowl in your freezer and start hoarding! It can take a few weeks for you to have enough scraps to make your “no-food-waste-stock”.

Process

  • Put all your scraps in a pan, cover with water and add salt.
  • Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on very low heat for about an hour.
  • Strain the stock (and compost the scraps if possible).
  • You can either use the stock right away or freeze it for a later use.
  • The stock can be used for soup, for risotto, to cook rice in, make a sauce or deglaze vegetables, it’s up to you!

Notes:
— I don’t put pepper because I think it tastes too strong when cooked for a long time, I rather add it at the end.
— You can add spices if you want, it’s dealer's choice. This recipe is very versatile!
— I use one volume of stock for one volume of water when cooking (adjust depending on how strong your stock is).

Recipe video

🎞 🎥 The Veggie Scraps Hack by Fanny Heneault

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