Ever since I got my thermomix, I haven't had to buy stock paste or powder because I've been making my own, and its been awesome! Aside from being free from sugar, preservatives and additives, it's primarily made from veggie scraps which means less waste or more veggies in my family's diet, win win!

I generally use my thermomix but wanted to write up a recipe that even non-thermomix users could use. I keep all my veggie scraps (things like veggie peels, carrot and zucchini ends, bits of celery, broccoli and cauliflower stalks) in a container or freezer bag in the freezer until I have enough to make up a good batch of stock. I chop it all up, chuck it in a pot and voila, 20 minutes later I have a big pot of stock paste!

Due to the salt content, it will last 2-3 months in the fridge, I usually freeze half in ice cube trays and keep the other half in the fridge. 1 ice cube of stock equates to roughly 1 tablespoon. The ingredients are rough estimates, based on what you have on hand. If there's intolerances, you can omit the onion, garlic and leeks, but the essentials are definitely celery and fresh herbs. You can also omit the salt, but you will need to freeze it immediately as the salt is needed to preserve the paste.

Ingredients

3 leeks (you can use the tops but they can be a bit bitter)
1/2 celery bunch, or equivalent celery scraps
1/2 bunch parsley
small handful fresh oregano
4 cloves of garlic
1 carrot
1 onion
1/2-3/4 bag of frozen or fresh veggie scraps (you don't need to defrost these)
1/2 cup good quality salt (I use Mount Zero pink lake salt)
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
couple of cracks of pepper

Method

Rinse all the veggies and fresh herbs and roughly chop
Place in a large pot, with the salt, olive oil and pepper and cook over a medium heat
Cook for 20 or so minutes, stirring regularly
Allow to cool for a minute or two, then transfer to a food processor (you could also use a stick mixer to blend it in the pot) and process until smooth
Spoon mixture into ice cube trays and place in the freezer, or a jar for the fridge. If you have a dehydrator, you can also dehydrate the paste (approx 30 hours on low) then process into a powder.