Rich Roasted Mushroom Broth

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks – About Mushroom Broth

I had become accustomed to using a high-quality commercial mushroom broth which was always available at my local market. Then, it wasn’t.  😡 Given that I was just fixin’ to make my Mushroom Risotto, this was a mini-crisis… at least in my mind! 

Our middle sons – Evan and Gaelen – (whom I enjoyed cooking with weekly until last year) love to refer back to “dramagranates”  – a Christmas day incident when all 3 of my pomegranates for Christmas dinner were completely black inside. OMG!  😯 Did I carry on… “The natural foods market conspired to ruin Christmas dinner!” We all laugh about it now, but I was dead serious at the time. Food is taken very seriously at Andersen casa.

So, back to the mushrooms. That evening, I started working on developing a lush, full-bodied mushroom broth (I think of it as mushroom stock). I started saving stems from both fresh and dried mushrooms – all varieties. I saved the liquid from rehydrated dried mushrooms that didn’t go into the pot, etc.

Many recipes suggest buying fresh and/or expensive dried mushrooms to make stock. NO WAY. I’ve made my own chicken, beef, turkey, and vegetable stock for years. I even have beef tongue stock in my freezer. Making broth/stock is resourceful, tastes better, and it’s CHEAP. Don’t we all appreciate CHEAP?

📋 Ingredients Notes

• mushrooms – You will need roughly 4 cups of mushroom bits. “Mushroom bits” can include stems from both fresh and dried mushrooms, as well as mushrooms that are past their prime. When I use dried shiitake, I cut off the tough stems, and throw them in the bag. When I use fresh mushrooms, I save the stems (whether fresh or not). When my mushrooms no longer look great, I rinse the dirt off, and use them as well. The liquid from hydrating the dried mushrooms is useful as well.
• vegetables – Onions, carrots, and celery are the obvious choices. However, I use other mild, sweet vegetables like corn cobs, asparagus stems, sweet potato bits, green parts of leeks, etc. See How to Make Vegetable Stock for more… AND I ALWAYS TOSS IN ROASTED GARLIC!
• oil – Olive oil is always a good option, but if I have truffle oil, I use it!
• garlic – You don’t have to roast a bulb of garlic, but I highly recommend it!
• liquid – Water is the primary liquid, but if you love using everything, you can include the liquid from rehydrating mushrooms or other dehydrated veggies. It just depends on how committed your are. I am not always that committed.
• dry sherry – I have used both dry sherry and marsala. Any dry wine is fine. You could probably use beer, though I’ve not tried it. This is totally optional!
• bay leaves – I don’t add many aromatics to my mushroom broth because I may use it for a Mediterranean, Asian, or Latin recipe. I don’t want to limit its use. However, bay leaves are always good. I use fresh when I can.

🔪 Cooking Steps

• Prepare the mushrooms and veggies for roasting – Preheat oven. Spread mushrooms and vegetable scraps in a baking pan in a single layer. Avoid crowding to maximize caramelization. Add the halved garlic bulb. Drizzle all with oil.
• Roast the vegetables – Place the pan in the oven. Stir to rearrange every 10-15 minutes. Roast until edges begin to caramelize – about 30 minutes.
• Transfer to pot – Add roasted veggies to either the Instant Pot or stock pot. NOTE: Be careful if they’re hot! If I’m in a hurry, I use tongs to transfer them. Cover with liquid and sherry or marsala if using, pressing them down into the liquid. Add the bay leaves. Do not season.
• Cook the broth – If using an Instant Pot, lock lid in place. Cook on high pressure 30 minutes. Do a natural pressure release. If cooking on the stove, bring all ingredients to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. About an hour should be sufficient, but check liquid levels occasionally. If it boils (rather than simmers), you will reduce the yield.
• Finish the broth – Pour the cooled stock through a fine mesh sieve, pressing solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
• Store the broth – For the refrigerator (up to 4 days), store in glass jars or similar. For long term storage, store in clearly marked zip bags or other freezer containers. Stock will keep 4 to 6 months in a refrigerator freezer compartment.

💭 Tips

When I save scraps for stock, I try to keep them clearly labeled in freezer bags. Have you ever pulled a bag out of the freezer with no clue as to its contents? I save the ends of onions, the green part of leeks, and past-their-prime carrots and celery for all types of stock.  I do save other vegetables (excluding bitter or strong flavored ones) for my vegetable stock.

Keep in mind that your stock pot is not a garbage can; keep stuff that is past its prime but still edible. If you want a full-bodied and complex broth/stock, it needs to contain more than just mushrooms IMHO. So, I pull out my bag of mushroom bits, and my bag of appropriate veggie scraps as well.

Do not season broth/stock when you make it. Save that step for when you use it in a recipe.

🥗 How to Use the Mushroom Broth

Need ideas for how to use your delicious roasted mushroom broth? You can use it in place of any broth/stock in dishes that feature mushrooms. It’s fabulous in my Seared Scallop With Mushroom Risotto.  Skip the scallop, and it’s a filling vegetarian option. Try it in Instant Pot Lamb Stew Provençal or Irish Stew with Root Vegetables instead of the beef.

You can boost the umami flavor by using this mushroom broth in my miso fish in parchment or this hearty, vegetarian adzuki bean soup. I’m looking forward to using it in a healthy cream of mushroom and wild rice soup… eventually!

Does it sound amazing? I hope you will consider giving my rich roasted mushroom broth a try. It may take some time to save the mushrooms and other veggies, but what do you have to lose?