by Mark Vogel
One of the first lessons of any
cooking course is learning how to make stocks. Stocks form the basis
of most sauces and soups. A stock is basically the liquid that eventuates
from simmering bones and/or meat with vegetables, herbs, & seasonings.
Types of stock include beef, veal, chicken, fish, and vegetable. Let's
peruse the stock making procedure.
Virtually all stock recipes instruct
you to start with bones. I prefer a mix of actual meat and bones. I
find the meat/bone combo to yield a deeper flavor. For a beef stock
I use cubed chuck steak. Never use tender cuts of meat such as the rib
or loin. They do not lend themselves to moist cooking methods and the
flavor will be undesirable. For chicken stock I use an entire chicken
cut up into the standard anatomical pieces. The standard ratio of bones
and/or meat to water is eight pounds to six quarts
Most recipes recommend you roast
the bones and vegetables in the oven before placing them in the water.
Roasting deepens the flavor and color of the stock. If your goal is
to make a brown sauce from the stock, you'll want to roast first. Even
chicken can be roasted first to make a 'brown'chicken stock. However,
I like the flavor of a stock made from unroasted meat as well. Try it
both ways and select your own favorite.
If you're going to roast, place
the bones in a roasting pan, add a little olive oil if you'd like, and
roast for a half hour at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Then add the chopped
vegetables, (six ounces of tomato paste if making a beef stock), and
continue roasting until the vegetables are browned. Place everything
in the stockpot, deglaze the pan with some wine and then add that to
the stockpot as well. Fish stock is generally not roasted first.
The vegetable mixture used in making
stock is the classic mirepoix, namely carrots, celery & onions.
Use eight ounces of onion and four ounces each of carrots and celery
for six quarts of water. I also add a few garlic cloves. If you're making
a vegetable stock you will need to increase these amounts and/or the
number of vegetables. Turnips, leeks, cabbage, and tomatoes are common
additions.
Returning to meat based stocks,
some chefs advise adding the vegetables one hour before the stock is
done cooking. They argue that doing so earlier overcooks them and deteriorates
the flavor. If you wish to follow this course of action you will need
to roast the vegetables separately while the stock is simmering and
then add them during the final hour.
Finally, herbs and seasoning are
added, one half hour before the stock is done for the same reason as
the vegetables. The traditional bouquet garni consists of a few sprigs
of parsley and thyme, and one or two bay leaves. I also add celery leaves
and numerous twists of the pepper mill. (If I'm making a spicy Mexican
soup I'll include either fresh hot peppers with the mirepoix or crushed
dried ones with the herbs.) Do not add salt to the stock. Its natural
salinity will increase as it reduces. You can always add salt to the
final soup or sauce if need be.
Slowly bring the stock to a boil
and then reduce to a simmer. Leave it uncovered for the entire cooking
process. The more the stock reduces, the more intense its final flavor.
Fish stock is simmered for 30-40 minutes, vegetable for 45 to 60 minutes,
chicken for 4-5 hours, and beef or veal for 6-8 hours, (even though
4 hour beef stock still tastes pretty darn good). Skim the stock frequently
to remove fat and other impurities that float to the surface. When it's
finished strain it through cheesecloth or a fine sieve. If you're not
using it immediately, immerse the pot of stock in ice water in your
sink before refrigerating. Rapid cooling reduces the chance of bacterial
growth. To eliminate as much of the fat as possible you may want to
refrigerate it first no matter what you're intended use is. The next
day most of the fat will have congealed on the surface, making for easy
removal. I save 1-2 cup portions of the stock in plastic containers
in the freezer for future sauce making.
Try this sauce with your next meat
dish. After you've roasted or sautéed your meat, remove it from
the pan. Place the pan over a high flame and pour in a cup of wine.
Scrape off all the flavorful brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan
as the wine comes to a boil. (This is what's known as deglazing). Add
one cup of stock, a few garlic cloves, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer
the sauce until it's reduced to at least half the original volume. Melt
in some butter at the end, strain the sauce, and pour it over your meat
for comfort food heaven. For a thicker sauce, you can reduce it even
further, or thicken it with flour, corn starch or arrowroot.
For an advanced technique, take
about a quart of your finished stock and simmer it until it decreases
to a syrupy consistency. You will have an intensely flavored concoction
known as glace de viande. Pour it into ice cube cups and store in your
freezer. When making a sauce, drop one of these flavor bombs into it
for a depth and complexity of flavor unknown to most mortals.
As stated, stocks form the foundation
of many soups. If I'm making beef vegetable or chicken soup, I will
shred pieces of the meat I used to make the stock and add them to the
soup. However, actual pieces of meat are not included in some soups
either by choice or design. In these instances you will discard the
stock-making ingredients. It may seem like a waste to throw out the
meat but remember, most of its flavor and substance has been infused
into the stock. Give the leftover meat to your cat or dog. Never reuse
the vegetables from making stock to make soup. They have been completely
depleted. Always add fresh vegetables.
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