The great thing about buying or obtaining your meat "by the beast" is being able to keep all the bones as well as the fat. When we ordered our mutton recently we were also the recipients of some extra bones. Bones for stock can of course be purchased from your butcher also and don't forget cheap chicken frames too.
This is the way that we make stock, there are numerous kinds and methods.
Firstly roast off the bones in a baking dish/tray in the oven on a moderate heat till they are beautifully browned. This will give flavour and colour.
Then into a stock pot with chopped celery, carrot, onion and mushroom.
Along with some bay leaves and peppercorns.
Cover with water.
Bring slowly to a gentle simmer.
Simmer uncovered for about 3-8hours, depending on how concentrated you want the stock.
After letting it cool a little, tip into a large colander over a bowl.
Allow the stock to cool and refrigerate.
Once the fat has set on the top of the stock, remove it and store in portion sizes.
Beautiful colour and jellied full of goodness.
Into the freezer and ready for use when needed for soups, casseroles, risottos and more.
Restaurants will make fancy first and second stocks (well a couple still do) but for a good home use stock this is easy, relatively fuss free and WITHOUT all those other special salts and secret powders that you get in bought stocks. Though they are really handy to have a cube in the cupboard, if you have the bones it really is worth the time to make your own.
Tanya, thank you for the tip about roasting off the bones first to bring out more flavour! :-0
ReplyDeleteWonderful stock recipe Tanya - i made the mistake of boiling a shank once in the stock base - YUK.
ReplyDeleteThe roasting and browning are excellent tips - the cook books really miss those vital steps I've found - everything onto the ppot cold - blah :(
You are preaching to the utterly and entirely converted! (especially when you start mentioning all those ghastly 'special salts' and powders)...
ReplyDeleteRoasting the bones - I always forget that bit!! With chicken stock I use chicken frames, carrot, onion and coriander!
ReplyDeleteThe last stock I made was made entirely from left over roast bones. Any roast chicken we had, the frame went into the freezer, and i think there was a pork bone and a lamb leg bone too. I also used the Giblet and the feet which I'd saved from Lord Pedro, the rooster. It was thick, but not quite jelly, and so full of flavour. makes amazing gravy.
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