This broth can be used in place of beef broth or chicken broth in soups and sauces, in case you are a meat eater who wants to try to eat fewer animal products to help save the planet. If you are a vegetarian, you probably already know about substituting vegetable broth for meat broth, but maybe this will just add something to your repertoire. The mushrooms give it a rich, meaty flavor. I used the parts of the leek that I usually throw away for the broth, since I discard all the solids after extracting their flavors. This seems economical and green (as it is green to use rather than throw away). My next post will be for a mushroom sauce to serve with pasta, which uses this broth. Stay tuned!
about 1 cup mixed dried mushrooms (porcini, wild forest, shiitake)
enough boiling water to cover in bowl (about 2 cups)
about 3 TBS olive oil
½ large Vidalia onion, chopped into chunks
2 garlic cloves, pressed
green top and bottom stem of 1 leek
3 carrots, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 TBS herbs de Provence
1 ½ tsp cabernet sauvignon-infused sea salt (or plain sea salt, if unavailable)
Soak dried mushrooms in bowl with boiling water to cover for about an hour.
Heat olive oil in large pot and sauté Vidalia onion until just beginning to brown. Add garlic cloves, then leeks and carrots. Pour in 10 cups water and dried mushrooms and their soaking liquid. Add rest of herbs and vegetables. Bring to boil. Simmer for 2 hours. Strain.