To get started, all you need is a large zipper top bag and a little space in your freezer.

Well, you also need to live in a home where you cook with or use fresh veggies.

I save carrot ends and peels, onion peels, squash trimmings, outer celery ribs and leaves, literally most any veggie will work here. Once you have a bag (or two) of frozen veggie trimmings you’re ready to make broth.

I like to oven roast the veggies first to deepen the flavors, but this step is optional.

Fill a large stock pot with water. Add in 2 bay leaves, 8-10 peppercorns, and a handful of fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, sage all work well). Add your veggie scraps and bring to a simmer.

Simmer for at least an hour, longer for a deeper flavored broth. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Strain broth, discarding veggie scraps, and allow to fully cool. Transfer to air tight containers or zip top bags until ready to use. Or you can freeze in batches for later use.

Easy Homemade Vegetable Broth is perfect when making a big batch of Minestrone Soup!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

The post Easy Homemade Vegetable Broth from Scraps appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Refrigerator Pickles take the unknown out of making pickles.  I know nothing about canning and preserving, although both are on my culinary bucket list.  I have however successfully made a couple variations of pickles.  These Refrigerator Pickled Green Beans are ready in two days.  They are crisp with a slightly spicy zing.  Delicious.

My first attempt was with Zephyr Squash.  After reading a recipe for Summer Squash Pickles I decided to give it a go.  When B plucked one out of the jar and asked “when did you learn how to make pickles?” I knew there was great potential here.

The green beans are blanched for 30 seconds, before swimming in an ice bath.  Then they are added to the jar along with the peppercorns, mustard seeds, dill, garlic, and red peppers.

The vinegar, water, salt brine is boiled then cooled to room temperature before topping off the beans.  Two days in the refrigerator and you’ll have a beautiful jar of Refrigerator Pickled Green Beans.

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Refrigerator Pickled Green Beans

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 lb. green beans ends trimmed
• 2-3 dill sprigs
• 1/2 tsp. peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp. mustard seeds
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2-3 dried red peppers or 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

For brine…

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

• Trim green beans to length to fit upright in glass jars with lids.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the green beans for 30 seconds. Remove beans and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking.
• Combine water, vinegar, and 1 tsp. salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Place peppercorns, mustard seeds, garlic, peppers, dill sprigs, and green beans in jar. Pour brine over beans, making sure they are completely covered. Put lid on jar and place in refrigerator for 2 days.
• Store in refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Notes

These pickles require 2 days in the refrigerator to be completed.

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I’ve mentioned before how much I adore my hair stylist.  And I think you also know by now that I LOVE to talk about food.  So when I have my time in the salon chair with a captive audience…we talk about food.  I’m so happy that she has become a Lemony Thyme follower.  Through conversation, I’ve always known she was a ‘good eater’ (something my mom labeled you as, IF you were willing to try different cuisines, and of course clean your plate).

Having said that, she’s young and still honing her own cooking skills.  She shared that she loved the egg recipes I had been posting, but no matter how hard she tried she could not poach an egg.  To quote her, “they always end up like egg drop soup.”  And that was the recipe inspiration for this Egg Drop Soup post.

For her, and anyone else who has yet to master the poached egg…stay tuned for a step by step on what works for me.

All the recipes I read for Egg Drop Soup called for three basic ingredients: a nice broth, eggs, and a little corn starch.  Some also suggested added ingredients, like scallions, mushrooms, and tofu.  I chose to adapt this recipe by The Kitchn because I loved the flavor nuances they added.  I chose to infuse my broth with cinnamon stick, star anise, peppercorns, and fresh ginger.

First recipe tip, this tea ball was the perfect infuser, although spice bags or cheese cloth would work well too.  Simply simmer the broth for 10 – 15 minutes then remove the spice ball.  Make a corn starch slurry with about ¼ cup of broth and 1 Tbl. of cornstarch.  Whisk it back into the broth and add any additional recipe ingredients like scallions or mushrooms and cook an additional 5 minutes.

For the egg drop, whisk the eggs with 1 tsp. of corn starch in a small bowl.  Bring the broth to barely a simmer then drizzle the beaten egg into the broth.  The second recipe tip I followed was to pour the egg over the tines of a fork and slowly swirl the broth with a whisk as you add the egg.  By my calculation this requires three hands (or you can balance the fork across the pan).

This recipe is simple to make yet full of flavor.  I actually went home and made this for lunch today.  At first taste the ginger and star anise flavors were most prevalent, but then my tongue detected a hint of cinnamon and the rich chicken broth.  We topped ours with thinly sliced scallions which were a fine addition.  Egg Drop Soup was the perfect lunch soup and would also make a fantastic first course for an Asian themed dinner.  Hmmm….did someone say Asian themed dinner?!

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Egg Drop Soup {Simple and Satisfying}

Egg Drop Soup was the perfect lunch soup and would also make a fantastic first course for an Asian themed dinner.

Course Soup

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author lightly adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbl. + 1 tsp. corn starch
• ½ cinnamon stick optional
• 1 star anise optional
• 10-12 peppercorns optional
• ½ ” sliced ginger optional
• 2-3 scallions thinly sliced, optional

Instructions

• Place broth flavor infusers in a tea ball or spice bag and simmer with broth for 10 – 15 minutes then remove the spice ball.
• Make a corn starch slurry with about ¼ cup of broth and 1 Tbl. of cornstarch. Whisk it back into the broth and add any additional recipe ingredients like scallions or mushrooms and cook an additional 5 minutes.
• For the egg drop, whisk the eggs with 1 tsp. of corn starch in a small bowl.
• Bring the broth to barely a simmer then drizzle the beaten egg into the broth, pouring over the tines of a fork while slowly swirling the broth.
• Serve with a sprinkling of sliced scallion

The post Egg Drop Soup {Simple and Satisfying} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I discovered a lovely new shop for premium olive oils & balsamic vinegars.  I came home with Blackberry Ginger Balsamic, among others.  The flavor is so wonderful.  Sweet, yet balanced by vinegar tart with a smooth finish.  I’m now on a mission to come up with as many ways to incorporate it into my meals as possible.

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Peppercorn & Balsamic Poached Pears

Balsamic vinegar pairs so well with pears :)

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme adapted from A Stack of Dishes

Ingredients

• 2 Pears peeled and sliced thin
• 3 Tbl. Blackberry Ginger Balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbl. apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbl. sugar
• 15 – 20 peppercorns

Instructions

• Combine vinegars, sugar, and peppercorns in a small saucepan and warm over low heat until sugar dissolves. Add thin sliced pears and poach for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and allow pears to steep for 1 hour. Remove pears from liquid.
• Return liquid to heat and cook to reduce slightly.

Notes

I served the pears in an Orzo Salad and used the balsamic reduction in my Lemon Blackberry Vinaigrette.

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