Vegetable Stock

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled, half coarsely chopped, the other half kept whole
• 2 large celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 8 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 8 sprigs basil
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Brown vegetables Heat the oil in a medium stockpot over medium until hot but not smoking.
2. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Add celery, carrots, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
4. Make stock Pour in enough water to cover vegetables by 1 inch (8 to 10 cups) and add the herbs, peppercorns, and remaining onion half.
5. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook (uncovered) 1 hour.
7. Strain stock Pour stock through a fine sieve into a large bowl or another pot, pressing on vegetables to extract as much flavorful liquid as possible.
8. Discard solids.
9. If not using immediately, cool in an ice-water bath before transferring to airtight containers.
10. Vegetable stock can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months; thaw completely before using.

olive oil, onion, celery stalks, carrots, garlic, parsley, basil, thyme, bay leaf, whole black peppercorns, salt

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/vegetable-stock-393731 (may not work)