Somehow, the spelling of “broth” still looks wrong, despite the fact I’ve googled it approximately 4,002 times to confirm I’ve spelt it correctly. I should have just said stock instead, but I believe there’s no such thing as vegetable stock, because the word stock implies the use of animal bones. On Sunday, I made vegetable broth to be used for the soup on Thanksgiving. There is nothing quite as good as homemade broths or stocks. 
Ingredients: 3-5 carrots, 2 parsnips, 1 turnip, 1-2 medium onions, 1 fennel bulb, 3-4 stalks of celery, 5 garlic cloves, 1-2 medium tomatoes or several cherry tomatoes, handful of chopped leek, handful of parsley and dill, 1 shallot, bay leaf, salt, pepper, red pepper)
To make Vegetable broth, begin by cutting all of your vegetables and herbs. Put them into a big soup pot.
Add cold water until the vegetables are all covered. Throw in bay leaf, salt, pepper and red pepper. Put on high heat. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 2-3 hours.
Turn heat off, and let your soup cool. Once it’s cooled enough, strain the broth into a Tupperware for future use. Remove the bay leaves. Next puree the solid vegetables in a food processor or blender. Put this into the strainer and use a wooden spoon to squeeze the excess liquid into the broth. 
Now you have your Vegetable broth and a bunch of nasty looking smashed vegetables. The broth is finished, but don’t let the smashed veggies go to waste. Here’s how to use them to make a thick creamy soup.
First, heat some olive oil and red pepper in a smaller soup pot. Then add the mashed up veggies, some cumin, curry powder, ginger and coconut milk into the pot. Mix together. Heat thoroughly, about 10-15 minutes so the flavors can meld. Lastly, salt and pepper to taste. I served mine with toasted pine nuts, toasted Italian bread, and parmesan cheese. It was a huge hit, and an awesome way to avoid wasting the vegetable broth’s leftovers.
I’m no expert, but I usually use vegetable broth within 5-7 days of making it, keeping it in the fridge. It can also be frozen and used within 6 months. Others will probably tell you it has a longer shelf life, and I assume it does, but it would freak me out to go longer.
So now I have my vegetable broth for my soup on Thursday. I’m making Stracciatella soup, which is an Italian egg drop soup that is so delicious! Ah, Thanksgiving Soup, I can’t wait to eat you.
Do you make soup on Thanksgiving? What kind? Do you make your own veggie broth or use the kind from the store? Also, can you tell the difference between a parsnip and turnip? (I could not, until I googled it. How pitiful is that coming from a gardener who also cooks?)
<3 Frankie
