Ask Nigel

Q I am a vegetarian and a lover of home-made soups. All of the vegetable stock cubes I've tried taste rather nasty. What are your tips for flavourful stocks that don't involve the remains of animals? Best wishes, Jo

A Dear Jo, I'm afraid all the stock cubes I have tried are pretty rubbish. I tend to use vegetable powder because it is the least salty and does seem relatively free of anything horrid (there is also a vegan version), but of course all vegetable stocks are by their nature very thin and useless for risotto or anything that needs a bit of "body". They don't bind with the starch in the rice in the way a meat stock does. Making your own vegetable stock is simple enough. I make sure to let the onions become very soft and sweet before I add the rest of the veg and the water and boil it up. It takes a good 15-20 minutes longer, but gives the stock a real depth. (I like to use tomatoes and mushrooms in mine, too, even though they can make the stock very cloudy.) Unlike meat stocks, vegetable versions are not improved by long cooking - they end up a bit "cabbagey", so cook them for no longer than 45 minutes. They freeze well, too, should you need to.

Q Dear Nigel, I have been given two tubes of rather fancy-looking French chestnut spread. No idea what to do with them - what would you recommend? Many thanks, Caroline

A The uses are almost endless, but my favourite is to use it in a dessert with meringues. Crumble the meringues into a bowl, fold in a little whipped cream, squeeze the chestnut purée from the tube over the top, then spoon over some melted dark chocolate.

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