Gewürzpaste für Gemüsebrühe (vegetable broth paste)

Method

1. Roughly chop the carrot, celeriac, leek, onion and garlic.
2. Grind the vegetables, garlic and parsley in a food processor, stopping to scrape down the sides, until uniformly fine with no identifiable chunks, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the salt and pulse until fully combined into a wet, spreadable paste.
4. Let stand for 15 minutes, then stir again, the salt draws out more liquid, and a second mix keeps the paste from separating in the jar.
5. Pack tightly into clean, dry jars, pressing down to remove air pockets. Store in the fridge.
6. To use, stir 1 heaped teaspoon into 250 ml of hot water per portion of broth.

Method in the Thermomix

1. Carrot, celeriac, leek, onion and garlic into the dry bowl, in rough chunks. Chop 10 sec / speed 7, scrape down.
2. Add the salt and parsley. Grind 1 min / speed 8, scraping down halfway, until the mixture is a uniformly fine, wet paste with no visible pieces.
3. Let stand in the bowl for 15 minutes, then mix again briefly, 10 sec / speed 4, before packing into jars.

Notes

• Do not reduce the salt. It is not seasoning here, it is what preserves the paste raw and unrefrigerated-shelf-stable in the short term and keeps it safe for months in the fridge; less salt means it spoils in days.
• Grind it fine. A coarse paste separates into liquid and solids in the jar and spoils faster; a fine, uniform paste stays emulsified.
• It keeps for at least 3 months in the fridge in a clean, tightly packed jar, longer if you always use a clean spoon.
• This is stronger than most shop-bought stock cubes, start with less than you think and adjust to taste.

Ingredient substitutions

• Any combination of root vegetables and alliums works, parsnip, fennel or lovage are traditional additions.
• A few peppercorns or a bay leaf ground in with the vegetables adds background depth.