3 delicious soup stock recipes you need to try

Soup stock is a flavourful addition used in many different meals, and it's surprisingly simple to make! Here are 3 delicious recipes to help you get started.

A well-flavoured vegetable stock makes the world of difference to soups, braised dishes, casseroles and sauces. You can use almost any vegetables — and it's a great way of using up oddments from the bottom of the fridge.

Recipe for 2.5 litres (10 cups) of vegetable stock:

• 45 ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
• 750 g (3 c) onions, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 350 g (1 1/2 c) carrots, chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 8 mushrooms, quartered
• Small bunch parsley
• Sprig of thyme
• A few sage leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2.5 L (10 c) water

1. Heat the oil in a large pot and soften the onions, leek and garlic until the onions are golden.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to the boil and skim off any scum.
3. Simmer, covered, for two hours before straining the stock through a fine sieve.

Bones and trimmings such as heads and skin are ideal for fish stock, but remove any gills from fish heads before using. White fish are the best choice for making stock — darker ones can impart a bitter taste. For a shellfish stock, substitute shells of shrimp, crab, mussels or lobster. Fish stock freezes well but should be used within three months of being made.

Recipe for 1.5 litres (6 cups) of fish stock:

• 1 kg (2 lb) white fish trimmings (can include inexpensive white fish such as pollack) or shells
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 sprigs parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 4 black peppercorns
• 1.5 L (6 c) boiling water or 1 L (4 c) water
• 500 ml (2 c) dry white wine

1. Rinse the fish trimmings well and place in a large pot with the onion, parsley, bay leaves, carrots, celery and peppercorns.
2. Pour on the boiling water and wine (if using). Return to the boil and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, skimming off any scum from the surface.
3. Remove from the heat, cool for 10 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve (plus muslin if using shellfish, to catch any fine particles of grit). Use at once or chill.

Recipe 2 litres (2 quarts) of beef stock:

• 15 ml (1 tbsp) sunflower oil
• 125 g (1/4 lb) shin or clod (shoulder) of beef
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stick celery, chopped
• 2 L (4 c) water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs each parsley and thyme
• 10 black peppercorns
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt

1. Put oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan and brown the beef over a high heat. Remove meat and set aside.
2. Lower the heat, then brown the vegetables; add water and bring to the boil.
3. Reintroduce the beef, skim off any scum, add the remaining ingredients then simmer for two hours.
4. Strain, cool and skim off fat.

Whether your using vegetables, fish, or beef, soup stock is a delicious way to use up those extra ingredients sitting in your refrigerator. Why not give these easy recipes a try and create some tasty soup stock today?