What ever soup it is I am making, I do prefer to make a soup with homemade stock. Using a stock cube might seem a like good, quick and easy option but I find they usually lack flavour and just add a lot of salt. Of course, there is something to be said for low-sodium, free-range stock cubes but they are more often than not very expensive.
It used to be common for people to make their own stocks but these days people think it is difficult and time-consuming. But it doesn't have to be. In principle, making your own stock is not more difficult than bringing a pan of water to the boil and letting it simmer and not more time-consuming than cooking your average meal. The benefit of making a big pan of stock is that you can freeze it. It does lose some of its taste but not massively so and if you reduce the stock to concentrate the flavour it is actually a very handy thing to have in the freezer. Besides, stock will last three to four days in the fridge, after which time you can bring it back to the boil and keep it for another 3-4 days, practically indefinitely.
There are various options for stock but the two main categories are: Fond Blanc (white stock) and Fond Brun (brown stock). For white stock you use raw bones and for brown stock you use... You guessed it, roasted bones. Chicken bones are mainly used for white stock and veal or beef bones are mainly used for brown stock but Fish and Vegetable stock are also white stocks. (Bones,) vegetables and water in a pan + simmering = stock. The vegetables you use for making stock is called mirepoix and consists (usually) of onion, leeks, carrot and celery but for a white stock you would mainly use the white parts of vegetables.
The most time consuming of all the various options for stock is brown stock as the bones need roasting and are then simmered for several hours to get the deep brown colour. The quickest to make are fish and vegetable stock as they only need about 20-25 minutes.
There are various options for stock but the two main categories are: Fond Blanc (white stock) and Fond Brun (brown stock). For white stock you use raw bones and for brown stock you use... You guessed it, roasted bones. Chicken bones are mainly used for white stock and veal or beef bones are mainly used for brown stock but Fish and Vegetable stock are also white stocks. (Bones,) vegetables and water in a pan + simmering = stock. The vegetables you use for making stock is called mirepoix and consists (usually) of onion, leeks, carrot and celery but for a white stock you would mainly use the white parts of vegetables.
The most time consuming of all the various options for stock is brown stock as the bones need roasting and are then simmered for several hours to get the deep brown colour. The quickest to make are fish and vegetable stock as they only need about 20-25 minutes.
Brown Stock
- 500 gram beef of veal bones
- Mirepoix
- 2 chopped carrots
- 2 diced onions
- 2 chopped celery sticks
- 1 tablespoons tomato paste
- Enough water to cover the bones
- Bouquet Garni (herbs and spices tied in a cloth for ease of use)
- Dried thyme
- Parsley stems
- Bayleaf
- Peppercorns
- Cloves
Method:
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Place the bones in a heavy bottomed roasting pan. Drizzle them with a bit of vegetable oil if you like
- Roast the bones for about half an hour
- Add the mirepoix to the roasting pan and continue roasting for another half an hour
- Toward the end of the roasting, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste or dilute the paste with a little water and brush the bones thinly with this before you start roasting them
- When the bones are thoroughly browned, remove the roasting pan from the oven and transfer the bones to a heavy-bottomed stockpot
- Add enough cold water to the pot to completely cover the bones, about 1 litre per 500 gram bones
- Bring the pot to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to a simmer
- Skim off the scum that rises to the surface with a slotted spoon
- Add the roasted mirepoix to the pot along with the Bouquet Garni; tie the sachet string to the stockpot handle for easy retrieval later
- Continue to simmer the stock and skim the impurities that rise to the surface
- Liquid will evaporate, so make sure there's always enough water to cover the bones
- After anywhere from 4 to 6 hours, once the stock has developed a rich brown colour, remove the pot from the heat
- Strain the stock through a sieve lined with a few layers of cheesecloth. Cool the stock quickly, using an ice bath if necessary
- The best bones to use for making stock are ones with a lot of cartilage, such as the so-called "knuckle" bones in the various leg joints. The bones of younger animals also have more cartilage, which is why veal bones are so desirable
- Always start with cold water when making stock. It will help extract more collagen from the bones, which will produce a stock with more body
- Don't let the stock boil, but rather keep it at a gentle simmer with bubbles just breaking the surface. Also, don't stir the stock while it simmers. Just let it do its thing. All you need to worry about is skimming the scum off the top, and possibly adding more water if the liquid level drops too low
Here's how to make it:
- In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the stock (see above) to a boil and then lower the heat to medium
- As the stock simmers, you may see scum or other impurities rise to the surface. Skim these impurities off with a ladle
- Once the stock has reduced by a little over half, pour it through a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a smaller pot
- Lower the heat a bit and continue reducing, skimming as needed
- The glace is finished when the liquid has reduced by about three fourths and the glace is thick and syrupy
- When you stir it, the glaze should coat the back of your spoon
- Let the glace cool, transfer it to a container with a lid and refrigerate or freeze
Enjoy!
