Top Stocks - Rules and Recipes (Stews & Sauces)

Member Name: pjs21

Product:	Stews & Sauces
Date:	04/10/02 (710 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Completely Natural, Full of Flavour

Disadvantages: Takes Time

Okay

I now feel that the time has come where I can confidently give you some secrets of making a good stock along with the rules.

I have literally, just learnt to make these, and I can assure you that they are absolutely stunning.

Now, there are many different stocks and probably many methods that people use. My granny used to boil here vegetables constantly for about 40 minutes and then use it as a stock.

The first rule of a good stock is - do not constantly boil your stock.

When making a meat or fish stock particularly, you need to bring it to the boil only once and then you simmer it for the rest of the time.

You bring meats to the boil initially to kill all bacteria, if you continue to boil you will disrupt the fat and protein more and this will make your stock go cloudy ? basically homogenising your stock. You need it on a very low heat, not even bubbling for the remainder of the cooking time.

For the same reason you never stir your stock either.

There, that's two rules and you hardly even noticed them.

We'll start with a vegetable stock, it's probably the easiest and the one most people will use.

I'll write up 4 in total, these are: vegetable, white chicken, brown chicken and fish.

VEGETABLE STOCK

For a 10 litre stockpot you will need:

2 Celeriac
2 Leeks
2 Onions
half Fennel Bulb
2 Sticks of Celery
1 Carrot
half Savoy Cabbage
black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
small handful of parsley
small handful of thyme

Cut your vegetables into chunks, about roast potato size, and sweat all except the cabbage in your stockpot for about 3 minutes with a little oil, about half a tablespoon.

Put plenty of cold water into the pot, more than enough to cover the vegetables. Put this onto a high heat and bring to the boil. As soon as boiling point is reached, reduce the temperature so tha

t there is no movement, skim any scum from the surface and add you cabbage, peppercorns, bay leaf, parsley and thyme. You are now basically poaching your vegetables. Poach for 30 minutes.

When cooked, strain into a clean pan. Your stock should be completely clear. It is now ready to use.

Phew, one down, only three more to go.

Now, a few more rules for you:

Never add salt to season or flour to thicken, they simply are not needed.

Never cover with a lid, this will only help your stock boil.

When using bones, the usual rule is raw is best, this doesn't count on the brown stock. Only top up with cold water. If you use hot water you will essentially start cooking the fats and protein too early and this will affect your stock. You need to cook them through slowly to release the fats at the correct speed.

So, here's number two.

WHITE CHICKEN STOCK

6 Chicken Carcasses (ask your butcher for these)
2 sticks of celery
quarter medium celeriac
2 medium onions
2 leeks
2 carrots
3 bay leaves
small handful parsley
small handful thyme
200g mushrooms

Firstly, make sure your carcasses are clean of fat, as much as possible, and also that there is no blood. Blood will make your stock bitter.

When happy, put in the bottom of your stockpot and cover with water. Allow at least 3 inches of water above your chicken. Put this on a high heat and bring to the boil.

As soon as it boils pour in another saucepan full of cold water, about 1.5 to 2 pints, and reduce the heat. The cold water will make all of the fat rise to the surface so that you can skim it all off. Once skimmed add all of your vegetables, peppercorns, bay leave and herbs.

Now leave uncovered for 2 - 3 hours skimming when necessary. Again, do not boil again, do not stir. When it's ready strain into a clean pan. Your stock should be clear and rea
dy to
use.

Okay, so not every one is going to make this one, but it is the standard stock for a lot of soups and is incredibly useful.

Another rule - no starchy vegetables should be used. They will only thicken the stock and the starch will cloud it.

Next on the list is...

BROWN CHICKEN STOCK

8 Chicken Carcasses
2 Sticks of Celery
quarter medium celeriac
2 medium onions
2 leeks
2 carrots
3 bay leaves
black peppercorns
small handful parsley
small handful thyme
200g mushrooms - these are not browned in the oven!
half tablespoon tomato puree

Again, clean the carcasses and then in a large pan roast them in the oven at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 until brown.

Do the same with the chunks of vegetables. Once these are brown remove from the oven, mix in the tomato puree and stir to cover. Put this back into the oven for about 8 minutes to caramelise.

Put the chicken and the vegetables into the stockpot. Pour some cold water into the roasting pans and scrape away any juices and remnants and pour into a bowl. Any fat will rise to the top, so using a baster draw out the clear liquid from the bottom and put into the stockpot. Top this up with cold water to cover. Put onto a high heat and bring to the boil. Because you've roasted most of the fat off and then left it in the bowl you should find that less fat comes to the surface when heating this one. When boiling point is reached, add a pan of cold water and reduce the heat. Skim away and fat and scum and then add the herbs, peppercorns, bay leaves and mushrooms. Leave this poach for 3 - 4 hours, skimming when necessary.

When finished, strain into clean pan. This should be a beautiful dark brown colour, but still very clear and not cloudy.

Final rules

Skim frequently. The more you skim away, the clearer your stock will be. Use a ladle or a large spoon. The skimming you do
when you've boiled it at the beginning is the most important. Don't be afraid of losing liquid, at this point there will be no flavour to your stock, that comes later, just get rid of all the fat and scum you can.

Depouiller. Just thought I'd throw that in. That's the French term for adding cold water when boiling point is reached. This encourage the fat to rise to the surface so that you can skim it off. This also tops up your liquid and reduces the temperature to help prevent boiling again.

Okay, now for the final stock. Who cheered?

FISH STOCK

6 - 8 fish frames (lemon sole, dover sole, plaice ? non oily bottom dwellers)
2 stalks of celery
quarter medium celeriac
2 medium onions
2 leeks
half bulb of fennel
2 carrots
black peppercorns
200g mushrooms

Clean the fish frames of any roe and blood, and clean the head of brains ? blood and brains will make you stock bitter.

Cut the frames in half and place in the bottom of the stockpot. You will only need to use two heads, discard the rest.

Top this up with cold water to cover completely and bring to the boil. At boiling point - depouiller (tee hee), reduce the heat and skim of fat and scum. Add all of the vegetables and herbs. Poach this stock for 20 ? 30 minutes. If you over cook this it will become bitter and cloudy.

Strain into a clean pan.
So there you have it. That's your basic stocks.

All of these stocks, once strained will last in your fridge for about 1 week. If you have the room you can freeze this as it is, or...

Boil the strained liquid until reduced. The meat and fish stocks will become quite gelatinous and tacky. The vegetable stock will remain watery. Depending on the size of the pan you use the time will vary to reduce. The larger the surface area, the quicker it will evaporate.

The final products will be intensely flavoured. You can fr
eeze these
in ic
e cube trays and use like a stock cube, diluting with water to taste. For soups you will not want the stocks too strong, but if you want to use the brown stock as a sauce or gravy you may want it quite intense. They will last for about 3 - 4 months in your freezer.

It wasn't until I actually tasted the brown stock today in it's reduced form that I realised the true benefits of making your own stocks. There are no preservatives, no colours, no salt and no flavourings. It is natural, it is pure and it is so cram-packed with flavour. You will notice the difference in your food immediately.

Make friends with your local butcher and fishmonger and you will probably find that they will either give you the carcasses you need or charge you a pittance. Going back in history they would use the whole chicken to make a stock, or a whole leg of lamb for a lamb stock.

Which reminds me. You can make lamb stock, beef stock in the same way as the brown chicken stock but it will need to cook for 4 - 6 hours.

Now go, get the biggest pot you can and make stock.

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