I recently volunteered to prepare vegetable paella for a church Bible group potluck. I was very excited to develop a delicious, new paella recipe and spent time preparing fresh vegetable stock with flavors of the Mediterranean. I always prepare vegetable and fish stocks fresh, as I intend to use them. I’m not a fan of bases or frozen stocks but I sometimes add a small amount of quality base to my stocks.
A vegetable stock with mirepoix, cabbage, mushrooms makes sense in certain applications, for certain recipes—but why would we use a mushroom or cabbage-forward stock in a paella? It doesn’t make culinary sense. Paella is a Mediterranean dish originating in the Valencia region of Spain as a humble meal cooked on an open fire. I’ve enjoyed wonderful paella meals in Valencia prepared with water-not stock, prepared with rabbit, snails and local beans. While traveling through Spain this spring I researched and sampled many styles of paella… no mushrooms, no carrots, no celery and no cabbage.

Vegetable Stock

As a former instructor at the Culinary Institute of America and a Certified Master Chef, I am a firm believer—and unapologetic stickler—for proper culinary technique. Technique is the foundation of learning, consistency, and flavor clarity. Which is why I was genuinely horrified reading some of the so-called “delicious vegetable stock” recipes circulating online. Many are muddy, aggressively flavored or short cuts, and fundamentally disconnected from the dishes they’re meant to support.



Classic vegetable stock formulations are rooted in Western European and French traditions: carrots, celery, onion or leek, garlic, tomato, cabbage, mushrooms, bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme. These ingredients are quality ingredients, sometimes vegetable trim but still quality ingredients. There are important ratios so that one ingredient doesn’t overpower the other ingredients-it is a recipe for delicious stock-not a garbage can stock.


The vegetables need to be cut to the appropriate size for quick simmering and vegetable stock is not boiled. Vegetable stock is cooked briefly, 45 to 60 minutes works well. When these simple cooking instructions are not respected the result is bitter or old tasting vegetable stock. This becomes bitter or old tasting food for the customers.

Stocks require a formula for standardization and yield!

Vegetable Stock (basic European style)

Prep Time: 20 min

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Yield:  1 qt


Ingredients                                          

1 Tbsp          Olive oil

1 Cup            Spanish Onion, peeled and small dice

1/2 Cup        Carrots, peeled and small dice

1/2 Cup        Celery stalks, rinsed and small dice

2 ea               Garlic cloves, whole

1 Tbsp.         Tomato paste

1 ea               Sachet d' epices (1 bay leaf, 5 peppercorns, 1 thyme spring)

1 1/2 qt         Cold water

tt                   Kosher Salt



                         


How to Prepare Vegetable Stock


Step 1

Add oil to a small stock pot, add the mirepoix and tomato paste and stir with a wooden spoon for 4 minutes-this is called 'sweetening the pot'.

There will be more flavor than simply boiling vegetables.






Traditional mirepoix (50% onion/ 25% carrot/ 25% celery)




White mirepoix (50% onion/ leek whites 25% parnsip/ 25% celery)

I use white mirepoix instead of the classic carrot-based mirepoix to add flavor and aroma to dishes without discoloring them, keeping stocks, sauces, and soups clear. 

Beta- carotene is the orange pigment in carrots which adds the orange hue to stocks with carrots. 




Step 2

Add water to the sweated vegetables-if you wish to simmer longer than 45 minutes, leave the carrots, celery and onions larger as shown in this picture.




Add the sachet d' epices and simmer for 45 mintutes.









Step 3

When the vegetables begin to sink, it's a good indicator that the stock is done-the vegetables will begin to become bitter if you continue to cook for too much longer.









Take out the sachet d' epices and discard. 

Step 3

To strain the stock, simply ladle the liquid and vegetables through a sieve or colander and use the vegetable stock for your recipe.

.When I leave the vegetables as larger cuts, I enjoy eating them-plenty of flavor and very soft-great with a little salt.

Dessert; Italian Wheat Pie

By Tom Griffiths • April 11, 2026
Our Easter and Christmas meals were feasts... my mother's family all met at Aunt Flora's home in Jersey City to enjoy and celebrate the holidays. Dinner began with platters of fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, olives, Italian bread, then a pasta course (manicotti or lasagna for the religious holidays), a roast or sausages with plenty of vegetables and traditional Italian desserts with dark coffee.We ate Italian Easter Wheat Pie one day each year—and it was never store-bought. My Aunts brought Easter cookies and baked goods-the wheat pie was my favorite. I loved the slight 'bite' of the wheat and flavors of cinnamon, vanilla and citrus. My father sometimes let me have a sip of his espresso with the dessert. I'm not sure if my mother used lard for the pie crust-she was a fan of butter and Crisco but the crust was always flaky.

Roast Leg of Lamb

By Tom Griffiths • April 8, 2026
There are certain dishes that stay with you—not just for their flavor, but for what they represent. For me, roasting a leg of lamb over Pommes boulangère is one of those meals. I don't recall having lamb at any occasions growing up so this was a dish that I proudly introduced to our family. As a young cook, it was something I could prepare with limited experience, and it provided deeply satisfying results. The lamb roasts in the oven over a bed of potatoes, onions, and garlic, allowing its natural juices and fat to baste the vegetables below. It's actually a simple preparation but becomes a complete, delicious meal—the potatoes absorbing flavor and becoming just as important as the roast itself. These days I'm developing delicious recipes using spice blends such as Ras el hanout, Baharat, Za'atar, Togarashi and even Harissa. I also love roasting leg of lamb outdoors on a grill or rotisserie. I like the subtle smokiness from applewood or dried herbs when I'm roasting lamb outdoors.

Potatoes Boulangère

By Tom Griffiths • April 8, 2026
There are certain dishes that stay with you—not just for their flavor, but for what they represent. For me, Pommes boulangère is one of those dishes. As a young cook, it was a delicious meal I could prepare for my family with my limited culinary experience. I often return to this preparation when roasting whole chicken, pork, or lamb—letting the potatoes, onions, and garlic absorb the natural juices from the protein as it cooks. The potatoes becomes more than a side dish; it’s the foundation of the meal.

Holiday Au Graten Potatoes

By Tom Griffiths • April 7, 2026
There are countless versions of Potatoes au gratin , many of them heavy with cheese. I prefer a more restrained approach—using little or no cheese—so the flavor of the potatoes remains the focus rather than being masked. Milk produces a lighter, more delicate gratin, while light or heavy cream creates a richer, more structured dish. Both are valid—it simply depends on the desired outcome. One constant, however, is nutmeg. Used sparingly, it acts as a quiet “secret weapon,” adding depth without calling attention to itself. This recipe is inspired by Xavier LeRoux, one of the finest chefs I’ve had the privilege to work with. His method includes an extra step—gently simmering the potatoes in cream before baking—which yields a noticeably superior result. The potatoes begin to release their starch into the cream early, ensuring a more uniform texture and a fully integrated dish from the first bite to the last.

My favorite Brownies

By Tom Griffiths • March 19, 2026
There are plenty of brownie recipes—and then there is the one that lives in memory. This is the only brownie recipe I bake, from Julia Child, whose influence reached far beyond French cuisine and into the home kitchens of passionate bakers like my mother. A devoted admirer, she baked these brownies often—usually for the dessert trolley at my restaurant. We featured a brownie freeze... brownie cubes with homemade vanilla ice cream, warm melted chocolate and freshly whipped cream-amazing! For me, this recipe is more than a classic—it’s a reflection of how great cooking is passed down: through admiration, repetition, and a deep love of craft.

Curing Salmon fillet

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I taught garde manager for many years at the CIA and this is one of my favorite recipes from class. I actually developed this recipe with one of my students, inspired by a recipe he had learned on his externship.

Dessert; Irish Soda Breadd

By Tom Griffiths • March 17, 2026
We ate Irish soda bread one day each year—and it was never store-bought. Soda bread wasn’t part of our cultural lineage, but it earned its place through something more universal: respect for tradition. My mother was not an occasional baker— growing up, her baking centered on Italian traditions: special Christmas cookies, the Vigna family birthday cake, and beautifully braided Easter breads that reflected heritage. Later, like many serious home bakers of her generation, she was influenced by Julia Child . That influence expanded her repertoire into classic European pastry—Paris-Brest, pound cakes, even German chocolate cake. The iconic cross cut into the top of the loaf is often said to “let the fairies out,” though in professional kitchens we recognize its functional role: allowing heat to penetrate and the loaf to expand evenly during baking.

Authentic Guacamole, Hospitality, and the Responsibility of Feeding People

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Beginners recipe: Breakfast Burritos

By Tom Griffiths • January 16, 2026
I still remember cooking breakfast burritos with my son Daniel, for volunteer workers at church events—simple, hearty, and made to fuel a long day of service. The workers were always so appreciative. Years later, I served a crowd favorite, nicknamed “The Bacon-ator,” a breakfast superstar inspired by the over-the-top spirit of fast-food indulgence. We had a popular food booth at the local country fair, where we cooked hundreds of breakfast burritos each day-stuffed with Mexican cheeses, extra bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, and fresh salsa—nothing pre-made, nothing rushed. Every burrito was warm, fresh, and full of flavor. When food is made with love, even the most straightforward breakfast is memorable.

Beginners recipe: Stuffed Peppers

By Tom Griffiths • January 15, 2026
Chefs often share a bond that transcends politics, religion, and borders. While working in Saudi Arabia with a diverse group of chefs, I experienced this firsthand on my final day. To mark the occasion, they prepared special dishes representing their home countries—a generous feast rooted in tradition and pride. At the center of the table was a beautiful tray of stuffed peppers, zucchini, cabbages, squash, and other vegetables, each prepared with care and respect. As we shared the meal, the chefs beamed with pride, and the room filled with a sense of genuine camaraderie. It was a powerful reminder that food remains one of the most universal languages we have.