stock tips

    When I was growing up, my mom would never dream of discarding the carcass of a bird or bones from a beef roast without extracting everything out of them first. To this day, in fact, even though she lives alone and cooks mainly for herself, Mommy makes homemade stock. I have adopted her simple "stock tips" and developed my own homemade vegetable stock recipe. 

      Making your own broth or stock is simple. Long after a sumptuous meal of roasted chicken, whether cooked in your own oven or a rotisserie bird from the market, the fowl in question continues to contribute to your menu plan, budget and health. You can easily produce a stock that is far superior, with more flavor and much less sodium than store-bought broth. 

     As the weather cools and we reach for an extra blanket, nothing says lovin' like something from the soup pot... oops. That didn't rhyme, but it is so true. The tomato crops are waning. Firewood is stacked neatly outside the local market hinting of brisk days to come.
     So come on. Drag out that big, ole stockpot or neglected crock-pot. Dig those languishing veggies out from the back of the fridge or pantry... even shriveled onions and wimpy celery are welcomed! One of my friends tosses in an old, dried up apple or two when she makes stock.
     Your family will sing your praises with every spoonful of homemade soup they put in their mouths and with the money you save, you're that much closer to those new boots you've been eyeing.

Chicken Stock
Ingredients
Chicken carcass (Bones and skin, leftover from roasted chicken)
One large onion, quartered
2 or 3 carrots, halved
2 stalks celery with leaves
2 cloves garlic, slightly crushed
2 bay leaves
A few stalks of fresh parsley, or saved parsley stems
1 t. whole peppercorns
½ c. dry white wine (optional)
1 t. salt
4-5 quarts or more of water (larger pot? add more water)
Method
Place carcass in a deep stockpot with all other ingredients. Don't bother to neatly chop the vegetables. They will be discarded when you strain the finished broth. Make sure the bones and veggies are completely immersed in water. Bring to slow boil on medium heat. Reduce and simmer uncovered for 3-4 hours or until dark, rich gold in color. Taste for salt content. Adjust if needed. You can also cook in a large crock pot and simmer overnight.
Strain into a large bowl. Cover and allow to cool in refrigerator. When cool, skim fat off top. (To de-fat further, pour stock through a large colander filled with ice cubes, set over a large pot or bowl.) Will keep in refrigerator for up to 5 days or can be frozen in small containers for future use.

Rich Vegetable stock
Ingredients
When preparing dinner or anything, save the scraps of your vegetables. This includes onion ends and peel, bell pepper tops and seeds, tomato ends, mushroom stems, celery and carrot pieces and tops, beet greens, garlic and shallot peels, asparagus stems, squash ends, old potatoes of any kind, apples as well. I often peruse the back shelf at the local market for "scratch and dent" veggies and things slightly past their prime. These are economical ways to add to your saved scraps.
Method
Place vegetables in a large, open roasted and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for around an hour or until veggies are dark and caramelized. Transfer to deep stock or crock pot and cover with water. Season with salt, pepper and herbs of choice. Simmer for a couple of hours or until broth is a dark, rich brown color. Decant into freezer containers, cooling completely before freezing.

Beef Stock
Ingredients
2 T. olive oil
3 pounds beef or veal with bones
3 pounds lean stew beef, chuck, sirloin or bottom round
3 carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery with leaves, cut up
Large onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 t. whole black peppercorns
Several sprigs fresh parsley
½ t. dried thyme
½ c. dry red wine
4-5 quarts water
Method
Preheat oven to 375. Pour oil into large, shallow roasting pan. Place bones and meat in pan, coating with oil. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, except wine and water. Roast 30 minutes more. Place meat and vegetables into a large stockpot. Place roasting pan on burner and pour wine in pan. Scrape up any bits from bottom of pan. Add 1 quart of the water to wine and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Pour contents into stockpot and add additional water to cover meat and bones. Slowly bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 3-4 hours.
Skim off film as it rises to surface. Strain stock through a fine sieve. Refrigerate for several hours to solidify fat. Remove from surface. Stock can be used in up to 5 days refrigerated or can be frozen in small batches for later use.
Variations:
Beef Glace’:
Place 1 quart of the beef stock into a small saucepan. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 1 to 1 ½ hours. As stock is reduced, it will become slightly thick and syrupy. (It will coat the back of a metal spoon.) When cooled, it will solidify.
Faster method:
Use leftover beef bones from oven roast instead of roasting bones. Add to water and other ingredients in stockpot. Simmer as directed.