Today we prepare a quick and light vegetable broth.
– quick vegetable broth:
it requires just 10 minutes of cooking;
– light vegetable broth without carrots and without potatoes:
without carrots [cooking alters their glycemic index] and without potatoes [characterized by a considerable amount of starch].
It is made with seasonal vegetables you have in the pantry.
It is not a concentrated but a delicate broth, yet 10 minutes and a few vegetables are enough to have a real additive-free broth: a valid alternative to bouillon cubes.
Let’s see how to prepare it!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups water
- 4 stems parsley
- 1 onion (or shallot)
- as needed celery (1-2 stalks and leaves)
- 1 pinch salt
- vegetables (based on what you have in the pantry)
Suggested Tools
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- 1 Saucepan with lid preferably glass
- Molds for ice cubes
Preparation
Tips for hyperglycemia | prediabetes and diabetes
– prepared without carrots and without potatoes;
– no fats.
For my vegetable broth I use onion or shallot, celery and other seasonal vegetables I have in the pantry.
It is also a very useful recycling recipe in the kitchen because it allows you to use outer parts, less tender or not very fresh, of vegetables: from leaves to stalks.About the carrot
Cooking modifies the glycemic index of the carrot: raw food GI 30, cooked food GI 85.
You can add it for flavor while avoiding consuming it.Clean and wash the vegetables thoroughly:
– parsley [stems];
– onion or shallot;
– celery [1-2 stalks and leaves];
seasonal vegetables you have in the pantry, I used:
– chard or red chard [stems and leaves];
– leeks.Onion or shallot
Peel and wash the onion or shallot.Celery
Remove damaged outer leaves and the hard, fibrous bottom of the stalk.
Clean and wash leaves and stalks thoroughly to remove any dirt.Chard
Remove damaged outer leaves and the hard, fibrous bottom of the stalk.
Clean and wash leaves and stems thoroughly to remove any dirt.Leeks
Clean the leeks by removing the roots and the tougher outer leaves.Cut the vegetables into large pieces or slices.
In a saucepan pour 1 2/3 cups of water, add the cleaned and chopped vegetables and a pinch of salt.
Cover with a lid [preferably glass], bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.Your quick and light vegetable broth is ready.
It is clear and fat-free, no need to strain it.
For brothy first courses, to avoid glycemic spikes, it is advisable to cook the pasta separately, then rinse it and add it to the brothy sauce prepared separately; in this way the starch released by the pasta into the cooking water is eliminated.
In another pot cook the pasta al dente, rinse it quickly under running water to reduce surface starch and drain it.
While the pasta cooks, bring the broth back to a boil.
Pour the pasta into the saucepan with the broth and stir well to blend the flavors.
This way you reduce the glycemic load of the dish and make it more manageable and lighter, without giving up the comfort of pasta in broth.Pasta in vegetable broth is a first course – a source of carbohydrates – easy to balance by adding a protein source, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and vegetables so as to compose a balanced meal or one-dish meal that helps keep blood sugar stable.
Homemade vegetable broth is a natural, healthy and versatile basic ingredient for cooking and seasoning.
It is perfect as a base for many recipes based on vegetables, legumes but also meat and fish:
– sauces, dressings and condiments;
– soups, pasta or risottos;
– couscous, fregola or paella;
– appetizers, first and second courses;
– stews.
Storage, tips and variations
Storage
Store the vegetable broth:
– in the fridge up to 2 days;
– in the freezer up to 3 months;
in jars or containers with lids or in ice cube trays: pour the broth into the trays, freeze and transfer the cubes to a freezer bag once solid.
Add a cube to season.
Tips and variations
If you prefer, you can add a few tablespoons of homemade tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes.
You can blend the broth vegetables to obtain a light velouté.
If you serve it without the vegetables, set them aside and blend them to make a vegetable stock cube or sauce to store in the freezer.
With the heat off add a sprig of rosemary and a few sage leaves.
FAQ – Questions and Answers
Hyperglycemia and diabetes, which broth?
Vegetable broth or vegetable stock is fat-free so it is ideal for those following a low-calorie diet and in cases of hyperglycemia, prediabetes and diabetes.
What other vegetables can I use?
You can use all the seasonal vegetables you have in the pantry, avoiding carrots and potatoes.
For example, besides onion or shallot, celery, chard and leeks you can also use broccoli and cauliflower, cabbages and savoy cabbage, chicory, fennel, mushrooms, pumpkin.
