Name: Vegetable Stock
Yield: Makes 2 to 3 quarts
Ingredients: 3 medium yellow onions, sliced (about 22 ounces unpeeled); 1 yellow onion charred (see Chef's Tip, below); 4 carrots, peeled and sliced; 1 fennel bulb, sliced; 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and sliced; 1 small head celery root, peeled and sliced; 1/2 bunch fresh thyme; 4 quarts water

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Aroma: The Magic of Essential Oils in Food and Fragrance by Mandy Aftel and Daniel Patterson.

This is an incredibly useful and versatile stock. It has a sweet vegetal flavor that can be used in many different ways—as a base for sauces and soups, adding richness and depth without changing the essential flavor of what it is paired with. It keeps in the refrigerator for one week, or you can freeze it indefinitely.

Chef's Tip:

Charring Onions: There are several recipes, especially for stocks, that call for charred onions, which add complexity and subtle smokiness. If you have gas burners, then you can cut peeled yellow onions in half and burn the cut side over an open flame for a few minutes, until mostly blackened. If you have electric burners, you can either put the cut side of the onions directly on burners set to high, or put a piece of aluminum foil on the burner first, and then char the onion on top of the aluminum foil.

Recipe notes

Charred Vegetable Ragù

This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!

Gigante Beans With Seaweed Salmoriglio

Salmoriglio is a Mediterranean sauce with herbs, garlic, and olive oil. In this version, kelp is used as the base of the sauce.

Fufu

Fufu is a dish that has been passed down through many generations and is seen as a symbol of Ghanaian identity and heritage. Making fufu traditionally is a very laborious task; this recipe mimics some of that hard work but with a few home-cook hacks that make for a far easier time.

Fish Stock

This flavorful fish stock is your secret weapon for bouillabaisse, shrimp risotto, clam chowder, and more.

Île Flottante

Originally called omelette à la neige (snow omelet) in reference to the fluffy snow-like appearance of the meringue, île flottante (floating island) has a lengthy history that dates back to the 17th century.

XO Sauce

Developed in the 1980s by a chef in Hong Kong, this sauce is all about umami.

Smoky Tofu Shakshuka

This vegan version of the classic North African scramble uses soft silken tofu instead of eggs without any sacrifice of flavor.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.