Vegetable Stock

Note: all amounts on vegetables/herbs are approximate.  Do not change the amount of cornstarch added. To a large crockpot, add in this order: 1 bulb fennel, cut into chunks 4 ribs organic celery, cut into chunks (or the base of one bunch of celery stalks, degritted) 4 carrots, chunked two large or three small onions, chunked Mushroom stems from 8-16 ounces cremini or button mushrooms (optional) 2 t dried Mexican sweet oregano, uncrushed (optional) 10-20 black peppercorns 6-10 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed 1/2 bunch fresh italian flat leaf parsley (about 1 cup) Fill crock pot with water until barely covering ingredients.  Simmer on low for 8 hours (or high for 4), uncovered for the last half hour.  Remove from heat.  Strain through a chinoise (then strain again through cheesecloth for really clear stock...but I'm too lazy for that step!).  While stock is still hot, make a slurry of 1 T corn starch 2 T water While stirring stock, add slurry until well mixed. Organic celery is more flavorful; if not using organic, increase celery to 6 ribs or add 1/4 teaspoon celery seed.  This stock can tend to have some residual bitterness; to combat this, replace one cup of the cooking water with one cup beer.  I freeze this stock in 2-cup containers; 4 cups takes forever to thaw and is often too much for a non-soup recipe.  To amp up the flavor, add fennel, celery, carrots, onions in the crock pot insert and roast in a 450F oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and roasty-smelling.  Remove from oven; allow to cool, then proceed with recipe as written.  If the container is not cooled before adding water, the cold water could crack your insert. Prep time: 15-20 min Cook time: 8 hours Taste: [rate 4] Ease: [rate 5]