The Stock Market
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. 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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