Roasting
the vegetables along with a trio of umami-rich ingredients (miso,
mushrooms, and kombu) give this meat-free broth a deep, satisfying
flavor that can be used in a variety of soups or braises. You can even
sip it on its own or top it with scallions and fresh chiles.
Ingredients
Makes about 2 quarts
3 tablespoons white miso
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
4 6x4-inch pieces kombu
2 medium onions, unpeeled, halved through root, very thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, unpeeled, very thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
6 sprigs parsley
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Preparation
Preheat
oven to 300ยบ. Whisk miso, oil, and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Crush
mushrooms and kombu with your hands over a rimmed baking sheet. Add
onions, carrot, celery, garlic, and parsley and toss to combine. Drizzle
miso mixture over vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Bake, tossing
halfway through, until vegetables are slightly shriveled and mixture is
fragrant, 60–75 minutes.
Transfer
vegetable mixture to a large pot. Add peppercorns and 4 quarts cold
water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered and
stirring occasionally, until broth is reduced by half, 60–75.
Let
broth cool, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl,
pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard
solids.
Do Ahead: Broth can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill, or freeze up to 3 months.
