Bouillon Cubes

• knife
• medium stockpot
• wooden spoon
• blender
• several ice cube trays
• freezer safe container

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium leek  or  4 green onions, cleaned and sliced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 T fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary…)  or  2 t dried herbs
• salt
• pepper
• several cups water

Heat the oil over medium heat, add the onion and leek, and sauté 5-6 minutes. Add shallot and garlic, sauté another minute.

Add carrot, celery, herbs, and a dash of salt and pepper. Mix well, then add enough water to cover by an inch.

Simmer for 20-25 minutes, until carrot is tender.

Let cool, then blend until perfectly smooth.

Pour into ice cube trays and place in freezer.

When frozen, transfer the cubes to a container and keep frozen until ready to use.

Ideally you should let the cubes thaw before adding, but if time is an issue, just go ahead and add the cubes directly to the soup and turn up the heat a bit to help them melt quickly.

In a pinch, you can just melt a few cubes without additional water for a quick and tasty broth to sip.