Pressure Cooker Vegetable Stock

Half of my extended family are vegetarian and many soups and sauces call for vegetable stock... and shop bought is a) unavailable here and b) stock cubes seem full of salt and preservatives. I make my own vegetable stock and freeze it so that I have plenty on hand when making vegetarian soups, lasagnes etc. I use small handfuls of fresh herbs, throw in what you have to hand and don't be afraid to be generous with the amounts. If you have veggies that need using up like cauliflower, green beans, broccoli etc throw them in too for the extra flavour. Yield depends on the capacity of your pressure cooker. ZWT REGION: The Netherlands.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Yields: 6 cups

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 4  medium onions (diced)
• 5  celery ribs (diced)
• 3  garlic cloves (minced)
• 3  large carrots (diced)
• 6  sprigs rosemary
• 10  sprigs thyme
• 1  teaspoon salt
•  fresh ground pepper
• 20  peppercorns
• 2  cups cauliflower (diced) (optional)
• 2  cups green beans (sliced) (optional)

Directions

1. Saute the garlic, onions and celery gently in the olive oil in the bottom of the pressure cooker.
2. Add all the rest of the ingredients and fill with water until it it 3/4 full. It's important not to fill your pressure cooker more than 3/4 full for safe cooking.
3. Seal,Bring up to pressure and cook for 40 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and let the pressure drop naturally. Strain the liquid though a sieve into a large pot, press as much liquid out of the vegetables as you can, discard the vegetables.
5. Once cool freeze the liquid for use in vegetarian soups, sauces, lasagne etc.