shanmonster | Fresh and Tasty! Vegetable Broth, and Sweet and Sour Beets

Today is kitchen today. The projects were vegetable stock, and sweet and sour beets.

The stock is a total success, and is absolutely delicious and packed full of good-for-you. The beets are still on the go, but the sauce is amazing.

EDIT: I'm eating the beets now. Holy shit. They are so yummy!

Here are the recipes, so your kitchen can be as excellent as mine is today....

Vegetable Stock

1 1/2 lbs red onion
1/2 lb baby carrots
1/2 lb sweet potato, chopped in 1" pieces
1 lb chopped tomatoes
1 lb bell peppers. (I used one green and one yellow)
1/2 lb butternut squash, cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb celery
2 cloves garlic
2 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
6 black peppercorns
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
16 cups water

- Heat oven to 450.
- Toss onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, and squash with olive oil. Put them in a roasting pan and roast for at least an hour, until vegetables have browned and onions begin to caramelize. Stir vegetables every 15 minutes.
- Remove leaves and tender inner parts of celery. Chop celery into 1" pieces.
- Put browned vegetables, celery, garlic, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley, and water into a large stock pot and cook uncovered until liquid is reduced by half.
- Pour broth through a colander, catching broth in a large pot or bowl. You can use it right away, or store it for later use. The veggies are good hot or cold.

Sweet and Sour Beets

- 3 cups cooked beets, sliced or diced
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp butter

- Mix the sugar, salt, and corn starch, stirring as you add the vinegar and water.
- Cook mixture 5 minutes or until it begins to thicken a bit. Remove from heat and add beets, coating them with the mixture. Let stand for 30 minutes.
- Heat to boiling and add butter. Serve hot.