The basis for most soups, many sauces and gravies is a good quality stock or broth. Vegetable broth is one of the most versatile components in a cook's repetoire and it's so easy to make at home!

Starting with the best ingredients will always make the best product. The freshest celery, carrots and onions will make the best mirepoix, which is the de rigeur starting point for a quality vegetable broth.

Sweating the vegetables in a little oil or butter will start the cooking process and allow them to release all of their flavor into the water. Roasting the vegetables in a hot oven is another good way to develop the rich, caramelized notes that are so appealing in soups. You can add in leeks, parsnips or tomato paste to alter the flavor to your taste. Classic additions like whole black peppercorns and bay leaves introduce aromatic layers of flavor.

The best advice for making a good vegetable broth is to take your time. Many recipes for stocks and broths claim that 45 minutes to 1 hour is adequate time to cook all the flavor out of the vegetables, but you may want to keep simmering your stock for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Start tasting it about 45 minutes in and continue every 20 minutes until it tastes full-bodied.

Here's a basic method:

• Take equal parts of chopped carrots and celery and sauté them in the stockpot with a double portion of onions. Cut all the vegetables the same size so that the vegetables cook evenly. This is your mirepoix.
• Sauté the mirepoix in a little butter or vegetable oil until soft. Use medium heat to just sweat the vegetables, not color them. If using tomato paste or chopped tomatoes, add them to the soft vegetables and cook for 5 minutes to eliminate the raw tomato taste.
• Cover your sweated vegetables with enough cold water to cover the vegetables by a few inches.
• Add in a bouquet garní made from bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley stems or other herbs.
• Bring to a slow boil on medium-high heat; this may take 10-15 minutes. Lower the heat so that the broth is simmering and cover it to slow evaporation.
• Start tasting the broth about 45 minutes in, keeping in mind that it will taste raw and watery until about 15 minutes before it's finished. Cool, strain and use in soups, stews or to poach meat, poultry or fish.