Recipe - Potato Peel Broth And Garlic Broth

POTATO PEEL BROTH
6 Large, healthy brownskinned
potatoes, peels from only
(up to 7)
1 lg Onion
2 Carrots
1 Mediumsized stalk celery
2 qt Water
1 lg Sprig parsley
1 .5 Tbs. Olive or mild
vegetable oil
One half Bay leaf (up to 1)
One fourth teaspoon Dried whole thyme
1 pn Sage salt and pepper to
taste
1 Clove garlic (optional)
1 ds Tabasco (optional)
1 ds Lemon juice (optional)

GARLIC BROTH
1 Whole head garlic in place
of 1 clove

From THE VEGETARIAN EPICURE BOOK TWO, by Anna Thomas, copyright 1978.

First scrub the potatoes very thoroughly and cut away any blemishes, then
peel them, cutting off strips at least One fourth inch thick. Reserve the peeled
potatoes for another use. Peel the onion and quarter it. Wash the carrots
and celery and slice them.

Combine all the ingredients but the Tabasco and the lemon juice in a large
pot and simmer for about 1 .5 hours, or until all the vegetables are very
soft. If too much water evaporates during the cooking, add enough to keep
all the vegetables covered with liquid. When the broth is done, there
should be about 6 cups of it. But this may vary slightly. The most
important thing is to taste it, smell it, look at it. If it is light brown,
fragrant, and delicious, it's ready; if it seems weak, simmer it a bit
longer and reduce it; if it seems too strong, add a bit of water.

For a clear broth, just strain out all the vegetables through a sieve and
correct the seasoning if necessary. For a soup with the consistency of a
thin puree, first fish out the celery, garlic, and bay leaf, then press
everything through a fine sieve until only a rather pulp is left.

Finally, for giving both Potato Peel Broth and Garlic Broth that final
touch of seasoning, I've found that a delightful flavor is brought out by
the addition of a few drops of Tabasco or a few drops of lemon juiceor
both.

Garlic Broth: Proceed exactly as for Potato Peel Broth, only add a full,
large head of garlic rather than just one puny clove, and be sure to use
olive oil. Break the head of garlic up intoseparate cloves and peel them if
you wish, though they can also be used unpeeleda method that many people
feel yeilds richer flavor. Simmer the broth gently for a long time1 .5 to
2 hoursand them strain everything out through a sieve for a fine, clear,
and lelicate broth.

Each method yields about 6 cups of broth.

Posted to FOODWINE Digest 5 November 96

Date: Tue, 5 Nov 1996 16:33:23 EDT

From: Sharon Bostick sharon@DELPHINUS.LIB.UMB.EDU