Roasted Vegetable Stock

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb cremini mushroom, halved
• 1/2 lb shallot, left unpeeled, then quartered (6 small or 4 medium)
• 1/2 lb carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces (3 medium)
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 4 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs (including long stems)
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 turkish bay leaf or 1/2 california bay leaf
• 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 quart water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. 1

   Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

2. 2

   Toss together mushrooms, shallots, carrots, bell pepper, garlic, parsley and thyme sprigs, and oil in a flameproof roasting pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden, 35 to 40 minutes.

3. 3

   Transfer vegetables with a slotted spoon to a 4-quart saucepan. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze pan by boiling over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to saucepan and add bay leaf, tomatoes, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Pour stock through a large fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on and then discarding solids.