November – Vegetarian Chicken Broth

November – Vegetarian Chicken Broth

How can that be you ask? Of course this vegetarian broth isn’t actually made with chicken but it sure tastes a lot like it. Let me introduce you to parmesan broth. I first posted this recipe back in 2015 and think it deserves a repeat appearance before for the holidays. Those rinds make a vegetarian soup base brimming with umami, that fifth flavor that makes all the other flavors snap into focus.

My local deli sells pre-grated parmesan and I can pick up the rinds for a song. You may even be able to get them for free if you let your friendly deli manager know you want them. Don’t let them throw them out. Stock them in your freezer until you have enough to make this delicious broth. I keep several quarts of broth in my freezer.

Parmesan Rinds

Parmesan Rinds

There are other uses for them, in Italy they add a rind or two to minestrone soup for a flavor punch. I’ve also made a fantastic parmesan flavored olive oil, perfect for making salad dressings with an extra dose of umami. It’s also a nice idea for holiday giving.

Parmesan Olive Oil

My contribution to Thanksgiving dinner includes a vegetarian faux sausage and raisin dressing, this parmesan broth is a stand in for turkey stock.

Parmesan BrotFinished Parmesan Broth, cooling before straining

Parmesan Broth: (makes about 2 quarts)

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, quartered (no need to peel)
  • 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise (remove the outermost papery layer)
  • 1 bunch of fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3-4 parsley sprigs
  • 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 lb. of Parmesan rinds
  • 8-9 cups of water

Method:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme bay leaf, parsley and peppercorns. Cook, stirring often, until the onion and garlic are toasty brown about 5-10 minutes.
  2. Add the wine, bring to a simmer, and cook, scraping up any brown bit until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the Parmesan rinds and water to the saucepan, bring to a boil.
  4. Turn down the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 2 hours. Stir occasionally so the rinds don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
  5. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.

Use immediately or store in the fridge up to four days. Freeze for longer storage. This recipe makes 7-8 cups of stock, depending on how reduced it becomes. You can easily double it if you have more rinds. I don’t salt when making the broth, the parmesan contains some natural salt so I add any additional salt when the broth is used.

Parmesan Broth

Parmesan Broth

I am taking this useful recipe to Fiesta Friday #303. Please do stop by Angie’s place for holiday recipe, decorating and travel ideas.  The co-hosts this week are Mollie @ Frugal Hausfrau and Antonia @ Zoale.com.

 

 

October – Parmesan Rinds

October – Parmesan Rinds

One of my favorite cheeses is Parmesan, especially the nutty and wonderful Parmigiano-Reggiano, known as the “King of Cheeses”. I consider it a kitchen essential. It’s named after the areas where it is produced in Italy, they comprise the provinces of Parma, Reggio, Emilia, part of Bologna, Modena, and Mantova. Under Italian law only cheese produced in those areas are allowed to be labelled “Parmigiano-Reggiano”. You can see the name stamped on the rind. Outside the EU the name “Parmesan” can legally be used for cheeses similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Keep a hunk of it in your fridge or freezer. It lasts forever and even a small grating adds a lot of flavor to a dish. I use it with scrambled eggs and roast vegetables, as well as pasta and pizza. Parmigiano-Reggiano has a lot of the quality umami, or savory.

It’s not an inexpensive cheese, but a little goes a long way. And you end up with these wonderful leftovers at the end…Parmesan rinds. Yes, don’t throw them away. Keep a bag in your freezer and save them. You might ask for what? Here are some ideas.

  • Drop a rind into a pot of beans, especially white beans, while they cook. Remove before serving.
  • A traditional use is in an Italian minestrone soup. Again drop in a rind to cook with your pasta and beans, then add fresh vegetables. The rind adds invaluable flavor. When you are ready to serve the soup, remove the rind and add a grating of fresh Parmesan.
  • Make Parmesan stock. It tastes a lot like chicken (have you heard that before?) and packs a punch of umami. Use it for a risotto.
  • Make Parmesan olive oil. Have you seen those tiny bottles of Parmesan oil in the better delis? They are outrageously expensive! And, you can make your own with your own leftover rinds. Simply add them to a jar, cover with good olive oil (make sure they are entirely covered) and store in a cool dark place. It will take several months for the flavors to blend. If you store it in the fridge, warm it up before use.

    Parmesan Olive Oil

    Parmesan Olive Oil

Use the oil as a finishing oil for a pasta dish, soup, or roast vegetables. Or maybe instead of your regular oil in a salad? I think you will find the uses are endless.

Pasta with Parmesan Olive Oil

Pasta with Parmesan Olive Oil

Pasta with Cauliflower. Artichoke Hearts and Parmesan

Pasta with Cauliflower. Artichoke Hearts and Parmesan

So, buy good quality Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano if possible) and don’t throw away the rinds!

This oil is part of my contribution to Fiesta Friday, I can only imagine what a boost of flavor it will add to many of the dishes. It’s Fiesta Friday #91. Come join the fun at a virtual blogging party hosted by Angie of The Novice Gardener. The co-hosts this week are Juju @ cookingwithauntjuju and Indira @ I’ll Cook, You Wash.

March in the Kitchen – Parmesan Broth

March in the Kitchen – Parmesan Broth

For many years it was thought that there were only four main flavors we can taste; sour, sweet, salty and bitter. Umami is now considered the fifth flavor, coined in 1908 by a chemist at Tokyo University. It’s quality is a meaty or savory taste. Umami is roughly translated as yummy deliciousness. Foods that naturally contain umami include asparagus, tomatoes, cheese, meat, dashi (stock from the seaweed kelp), and mushrooms. Fermented foods such as soy sauce, cheese, cured meats and fish have it in abundance. The chemist was able to pinpoint glutamate, an amino acid, as the main source of this savory wonder. He then learned how to produce it in industrial quantities. We know that product as MSG.

Slow cooking for an extended period will release natural glutamate. Cooked foods with a high umami factor often have layers of taste, a combination of glutamates and a group of chemicals called ribonucleotides (occurring naturally in many foods). When you combine ingredients containing different umami-giving compounds, they enhance each other. Such is the case with Bolognese sauce with cheese on top. In fact, cooked meat, tomato and cheese are a 1-2-3-punch combo. Think pepperoni pizza, I know I do.

Just as humans evolved to crave sweetness and loathe bitter to help avoid toxins, umami is a marker of protein (which is made up of amino acids) essential for life. We are instinctually drawn to it.

Parmesan cheese is very high in umami. Freshly grated Parmesan, added at the end, will elevate a pasta dish to sublime. Search out the best Parmesan you can find, a little goes a long way and you won’t regret it. Keep it in the fridge or freezer and use it as needed, I think you will find lots of uses. Try in on scrambled eggs, or roast vegetables, even on crisp toasted rustic (slightly charred) bread with a drizzle of olive oil.

Then don’t throw out the rinds once you have grated every last bit of cheese! In Italy a Parmesan rind is often tossed into minestrone for extra depth of flavor. Try one in a simple pot of beans, it makes a big difference. I keep a zip top bag in the freezer and collect them until I have enough to make this absolutely fabulous and delicious broth that is bursting with umami.

Parmesan rinds

A Collection of Parmesan Rinds

Let me introduce you to Parmesan Broth, a powerhouse of the fifth flavor. Use it as a versatile stock for soup, or anywhere you need a flavor boost. For vegetarians this broth is a huge flavor enhancer, it closely resembles a long simmered chicken stock. Simply simmering the broth fills your kitchen with the most amazing aroma, I couldn’t resist drinking a mug full once it was finished.

Parmesan Broth (makes 4-6 cups)

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
  • 1 bunch of fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3-4 parsley sprigs
  • 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 lb. of Parmesan rinds
  • 8 cups of water
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme bay leaf, parsley and peppercorns. Cook, stirring often, until the onion and garlic are toasty brown about 5-10 minutes.
  2. Add the wine, bring to a simmer, and cook, scraping up any brown bit until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the Parmesan rinds and 8 cups of water to the saucepan, bring to a boil.
  4. Turn down the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours. Stir occasionally so the rinds don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
  5. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.

Use immediately or store in the fridge up to four days. Freeze for longer storage. This recipe makes a 4-6 cups of stock, depending on how reduced it becomes. You can easily double it if you have more rinds. I don’t salt when making the broth, instead I add salt when it is used.

onion, garlic, thyme, parsley, peppercorns and bayleaf in olive oil

onion, garlic, thyme, parsley, peppercorns and bayleaf in olive oil

Parmesan broth

Parmesan broth cooking

Parmesan Brot

Finished Parmesan Broth, cooling before straining

The finished broth is the most lovely shade of golden yellow!

 

This recipe was first published in Bon Appetit.