parmigiano and herb-fortified stock

(see those chunks in the center that's parmesan cheese rind.. umm yummy)

I was watching rachel ray's week in a day and saw this stock and thought ohh my goodness i have to make it.. its wonderful.. her recipe can be found  here.. i changed mine a bit.. she used it in her marinara and then hunters chicken on the show.. it's so flavorful it can be used in any recipe that calls for vegi stock or even chicken stock..

parmigiano and herb-fortified stock

prep time: 10 minutes

cooking time: 90 minutes
servings: approx. 1 gallon

ingredients:

1 large rind trimmed off a hunk or parmigiano cheese or a few small rinds perhaps shaved up
1 herb bundle of several sprigs thyme, parsley, basil and oregano (she calls for it to be tied and well i couldn't find string cheese so i put all the herbs in and then used a strainer)
1 onion, quartered
2 ribs of celery
a handful of baby carrots
2 fresh bay leaves
rind of one lemon cut in chunks
4 cups chicken stock
12 cups water

directions:

put all of the above in a large pot and bring to a bubble, reduce heat to simmer and cook for about hour, remove from heat and strain all the veggies and herbs out.. i put it in a mason jar and used it over the next week or so whenever a recipe called for stock or broth..