STOCK it to me!

Let’s dish about stock for a sec…Soup stocks are relatively easy to make & are extremely versatile in the kitchen.  Stocks are a little heartier than your average broth and make your soups, stews, etc. taste oh-so-good!  Here are some basic stocks you can make as a base for anything from soup to gravies.

I like to freeze half of my stock in ice cube trays for easy use in gravies & other dishes.  The rest can be frozen in a container or in a zip lock freezer bag (if you lay it flat, you’ll save room in the freezer).

Vegetable Stock

The Stuff

• 3 Medium to Large Carrots, broken in half
• 1 large Onion (white or yellow), cut in quarters…leave the skins on!!!
• 2 Stalks of Celery, leave the leaves on & cut into very large pieces
• 1 Bayleaf
• 1 or 2 whole cloves of garlic
• 2 TBSP Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp whole Peppercorns (or 1/8 tsp of ground pepper)
• 2 TBSP Tomato Paste (optional)
• Water

Making it Work

• Add everything to a large stock pot or dutch oven.  Cover with water leaving about two inches of head space.  
• Bring to a simmer (small bubbles – don’t boil it).  Simmer for 2 hours.  
• Pour stock into a large bowl using a strainer/colander.  
• Let cool & store.

...and throw away those used up veggies.  They've done their duty and given you all of their vitamins & nutrients (they're also pretty tasteless by now).

Chicken Stock

The Stuff

• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Large Carrot, broken in half
• 1 medium Onion (white or yellow), cut in quarters…leave the skins on!!!
• 2 Stalks of Celery, leave the leaves on & cut into very large pieces
• 1 Bayleaf
• 1 or 2 whole cloves of garlic
• 2 TBSP Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp whole Peppercorns (or 1/8 tsp of ground pepper)
• Water

Making it Work

• Add everything to a large stock pot or dutch oven.  Cover with water leaving about two inches of head space.  Bring to a simmer (small bubbles – don’t boil it).  Simmer for 3-4 hours (you may need to add some additional water as it cooks).  Pour stock into a large bowl using a strainer/colander. 
• Let stock cool & store.

Fish out the chicken from the muck in the colander & chop it up.  Throw it in a freezer bag & freeze.  This can be used when you use the stock to make Chicken Soup or you can add the chicken to some spaghetti sauce or something for dinner tonight.

If you like you can also use about a pound of any other chicken you like (thighs, bone-in breasts, wings,  etc.).   Yes, the broth does get a richer flavor using the bone in chicken with the skin, but I like to cut the cholesterol & use boneless/skinless.
Even better is using the carcass of a whole chicken you had for dinner the night before.

Beef Stock

The Stuff

• *Beef (See notes below)
• 1 Large Carrot, broken in half
• 1 medium Onion (white or yellow), cut in quarters…leave the skins on!!!
• 2 Stalks of Celery, leave the leaves on & cut into very large pieces
• 1 Bayleaf
• 1 or 2 whole cloves of garlic
• 2 TBSP Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp whole Peppercorns (or 1/8 tsp of ground pepper)
• Water

Making it Work

• Add everything to a large stock pot or dutch oven.  
• Cover with water leaving about two inches of head space.  Bring to a simmer (small bubbles – don’t boil it).  
• Simmer for 4-5 hours (you may need to add some additional water as it cooks).  
• Pour stock into a large bowl using a strainer/colander. 
• Let stock cool & store.

Fish out the beef from the muck in the colander & chop it up.  Throw it in a freezer bag & freeze.  This can be used when you use the stock to make Beef Soup or you can add it to some BBQ sauce & put it on buns for dinner tonight.

Beefy Notes: Here are some options for beef to make your stock…

• 1 small London Broil cut into 1 inch pieces
• Beef Bones – These tend to render a more fatty stock which will need to be skimmed once it cools.    

I usually use the London Broil because it’s more lean than the bones – I sometimes add a couple of beef bouillon cubes to my stock to amp up the beefy flavor.

Fish/Seafood Stock

The Stuff

• *Fish Bones/Fish Heads/Fish Tails, Shrimp Shells/Crab Shells
• 1 Large Carrot, broken in half
• 1/2 medium Onion (white or yellow), cut in quarters…leave the skins on!!!
• 2 Stalks of Celery, leave the leaves on & cut into very large pieces
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 TBSP Kosher Salt
• 3 or 4 whole Peppercorns
• Tomato Paste (optional)
• Water

Making it Work

• Add everything to a large stock pot or dutch oven.  Cover with water leaving about two inches of head space.  
• Bring to a simmer (small bubbles – don’t boil it).  Simmer for 2-3 hours (you may need to add some additional water as it cooks).  
• Pour stock into a large bowl using a strainer/colander. 
• Let stock cool & store.

You won’t be fishing anything out of this baby…dump all the gumk in the trash & take it out right away!

*You can go to your local fish monger (I love that word…monger  ;o), and ask them for these items.  I’m a bit squeamish & have issues with using fish heads.  I don’t like my food staring up at me from the pot (I know, I know…Anthony Bourdain would have a fit LMAO), so I use fish tails instead.

Faerie GothMother's Corner...

Is it really possible to kill 2 birds with 1 stone? And why? What did the poor birds do to deserve that? Why not kill 2 clowns instead? Now they're scary!