Stock cubes are pretty much a staple in all Swiss kitchens, but there’s a very simple alternative to them which helps us avoid additives and adds natural flavour to our food. You can make a great vegetable stock just by boiling up vegetable peelings and leftovers. “I always keep a container of vegetable stock in my fridge,” says Fabian Fuchs, head chef at the EquiTable restaurant in Zurich and a V-ZUG ambassador.
So which vegetables are good for stock? “Leeks, onions, tomatoes and celery,” says Fuchs, and advises, “but don’t use too much carrot or parsnip because that will make the stock too sweet.” He also says that fennel, peppers and squash aren’t so good in stock.
Fuchs puts the vegetables into cold water and brings it to the boil. “Don’t boil them for too long,” the expert tells us, “the vegetables need to be just edible still and not to have lost all their flavour, then the stock is at its most flavoursome.” Right at the very end Fabian Fuchs adds just a little salt. He gives us yet another tip, saying, “dried or roasted mushrooms add depth to a vegetable stock.”
The stock will last for around a week in the fridge, the top chef tells us, after which it won’t taste fresh any more.