Ingredients

• 10 cups water
• 1 medium-sized onion, unpeeled, studded with 4 whole cloves
• 2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and lightly bruised
• 2 celery ribs with leaves, cut into large chunks
• 8 white mushrooms, halved
• 2 carrots, unpeeled and cut into large chunks
• 2 leeks, trimmed and cut into large chunks
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes, quartered
• 4 medium-sized new red potatoes, halved
• 8 fresh parsley sprigs
• 2 fresh dill sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt

Instructions

1. Place water in a large, heavy pot. Rinse all the vegetables well, then add to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Adjust the seasonings to taste and simmer for 30 minutes longer.
2. Strain the broth; discard the bay leaf but reserve the vegetables to eat as is, or pur e them and use to thicken soups or sauces for stews. Let the broth cool to room temperature and then refrigerate, covered, in a storage container or freeze. Refrigerated, it will keep about 4 days. This recipe is easily doubled, and you will need more than 4 cups of broth for three of our soups.