Vegetable Demi-Glace

• 0.200 kg Large portobello mushroom, cut into small pieces
• 0.150 kg Large carrot, unpeeled, cut into small pieces
• 0.200 kg Large onion, unpeeled, coarsely chopped
• 0.250 kg Small eggplant, cut into small pieces
• 0.200 kg Small leek coarsely chopped
• 0.040 kg Garlic cloves, unpeeled, smashed
• 0.045 lt Vegetable oil
• 0.030 kg AP flour
• 0.030 lt Tomato paste
• 0.060 lt Red wine
• 1x Bouquet garni (1 celery stalk, 2 fresh thyme sprigs, 2 fresh parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf)
• 1.750 lt Water

1. 1 With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 200°c.
2. 2 On a baking sheet, toss the vegetables with the oil.
3. 3 Bake for 1 hour or until the vegetables are golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove from the oven.
4. 4 Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir in the tomato paste until thoroughly combined. Continue baking for 10 minutes.
5. 5 Place the vegetables in a large pot.
6. 6 Pour the wine onto the baking sheet and scrape up any browned bits.
7. 7 Add the wine mixture to the vegetables along with the bouquet garni and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour.
8. 8 Strain the stock through a sieve into another pot, pressing the vegetables with the back of a ladle to extract all the juices.
9. 9 Over high heat, boil for 10 minutes or until reduced by half, stirring occasionally.
10. 10 Season with salt and pepper.
11. 11 Nutritional Highlights: homemade vegetable demi-glace is an ultra-reduced, umami-rich sauce made from vegetable scraps. Its primary nutritional highlights include concentrated antioxidants, rich mineral content, zero to low fat, and high hydration properties. Because it is reduced from a nutrient-dense broth, it maximises the extraction of water-soluble vitamins and phytonutrients without adding excessive calories.

Sustainability impact

Wasted avoided: vegetable peels left over from fabrication. By-product used: whole vegetables. Valorisation strategy: homemade vegetable demi-glace made from scraps involves moving beyond simple broth to create concentrated, nutrient-dense ingredients, transforming kitchen byproducts into high-value pantry staples, reducing food waste, and unlocking deep umami flavour profiles. Circular economy principle: 1. Waste valorisation (upcycling): instead of discarding organic material, you are extracting remaining flavours and nutrients to create a premium ingredient, maximising the lifecycle of the vegetables. 2. Closed-loop system: by storing scraps in a freezer container and returning them to your cooking cycle, you create a localised, self-sustaining loop that replaces store-bought, heavily packaged alternatives. 3. Resource optimisation: you extend the utility of the original water, energy, and land resources used to grow the vegetables, preventing the embedded carbon footprint of wasted food.