New Page 0

Make your own stocks!

Homemade stock is priceless when it comes to adding to soups, stews, recipes and plain old drinking on your own. It is soooo much healthier than anything you find at the store, without the preservatives, and so satisfying to make. Once I began to read labels at the store (ultimately leading to my near-hatred of boxed and frozen meals, processed foods and nearly anything storebought), I figured I had to do better for my family. I don't even like the bouillon cubes or soup bases from the store.

I make duck, rabbit, chicken, beef and vegetable stocks. We don't eat fish often at all (maybe a few times a year, if that) so I don't make fish stock, though it is supposed to be absolutely fabulous for good health. I will provide my how-to's below.

You can use already cooked bones for these recipes (though I've never used already cooked beef bones, I buy beef bones at my local grocery store and freeze them until I'm ready for them). My favorite thing to do is cook a whole chicken, freeze the bones and any meat left, and use that in stock when I have enough. Talk about letting nothing go to waste! Every scrap from the meat is saved for stocks. Any fat that is trimmed from beef is frozen and added to my stocks for additional flavor.

A nice tip for vegetable stocks: save all of your vegetable scraps (raw). Collect them in a bag and freeze them until you're ready to use them. No need to use fresh, whole vegetables when making your vegetable stock, but only use a lot of vegetables you typically use and like the taste off. Some vegetables have a stronger taste than others, like broccoli, so it's best to use less of that. Also leafy things such as lettuce do not do well in a stock.

Some more helpful tips:

You know you have a good stock when... It gels in the fridge.
Adding vinegar before or during cooking helps bring out minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.
Brown beef bones in the oven prior to making stock with them. This will enhance the flavor and add color.
Use purified water instead of tap water.
Scrape away the scum that rises to the surface as your stock starts to boil.
Most stocks last 3-5 days in the fridge, and 3-6 months in a freezer. Slightly longer in a deep freezer.
Don't stir stocks when simmering. You'll have a cleaner, healthier stock if the scum can rise to the surface and not get trapped under bones or vegetables.
Because these recipes call for long simmer times, it's best that the vegetables be chopped into large chunks rather than smaller ones.

How to:

Add your meat, vegetables, water (cold), and bones together in a large stockpot. Add vinegar to help extract calcium.
Heat the broth slowly. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer at its lowest point.
Skim off the scum that will rise.
Simmer chicken and beef for 12-24 hours. Vegetable stock can be made in about two hours or so.
Strain broth, I do this by adding cheesecloth or a dish towel across my strainer, which sets upon a large bowl or container. I then gather the cheesecloth or towel and squeeze the contents to remove all of the juices.
If you won't be using your stock immediately, put your stock in a container in a ice and water filled sink to cool. It won't cool fast enough in a fridge to prevent bacteria buildup and also puts other foods at risk if a very hot container sits in the fridge for long.
Chill if desired in the fridge- this will bring the fat up to the surface which can easily be removed. You'll also see how nicely your stock should gel up.

Recipes:

Chicken

I collect chicken bones until I have about 2-3lbs of them, including meat scraps. You can also use whole chicken for this. If you have them, include the gizzards and 2-4 feet (if you have them).

4 quarts cold water

2 tablespoons vinegar

1-2 large onion, chopped

2-4 carrots, peeled and chopped

3-5 celery stalks, chopped

1 bunch of parsley

If you are using a whole chicken, remove wings and neck, fat glands and gizzards (to be set aside, and put back in when stock is made) and cut the chicken into pieces. Combine all ingredients above except the parsley. Let the pot stand for 30 min-1hr, then bring to a boil Skim off the scum, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6-8 hours. The longer, the better. Add parsley about 10 minutes before the stock is done.

Once done, skim the stock and set chicken aside for a future meal. Strain well, chill the broth and remove fat once congeals. Freeze or use.

Rabbit

Rabbit bones, raw or previously cooked, plus heart, liver, kidneys and 2 front legs from one rabbit if you have them. Otherwise, bones and meat scraps will work fine.

1 medium onion, quartered

1 clove garlic

1 tsp. whole black peppercorns

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

6 cups water

Combine all ingredients, bring to boil. Reduce heat to low simmer and continue cooking for 1-3 hours until rabbit is tender. Remove from heat, strain well and place stock in the fridge overnight. Remove fat once chilled.

Beef

Crack bones into smaller portions a few inches long if necessary. Brown beef bones and meat scraps at 350 degrees for one hour or until brown. Put bones and beef in a stockpot. I use about 3-4lbs of bone and meat.

Dump out fat, add some water to the roasting pan and bring to a boil and using a spoon or spatula scrape the bottom of the pan to remove coagulated juices. Dump this into the stockpot.

Add 2-4 carrots coarsely cut, 2-4 stalks of celery coarsely cut, 4 cloves of garlic (smashed), 2 onions coarsely cut, 1-2 tsp. peppercorns crushed.

Add 4-6 quarts of cold, purified water. Add 1/2c white distilled vinegar. Let this all sit for about one hour.

Heat to a boil, cover and simmer for 12-72 hours. I have no idea if this has any meaning, but I let mine simmer until most of the marrow is out of the bone.

Strain broth, remove all solids, put into a container and chill.

Cool, chill in fridge, scrape fat off and package.

Duck

5 lbs duck bones, giblets, necks, etc. NO liver

2 large onions, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch parsley

2 springs thyme

1 bay leaf

6 peppercorns

1/2 tsp. salt

cold water

Wash duck parts well and cover with cold water. Water should cover duck parts by about 2 inches.

Bring to a boil, then lower heat.

Add remaining ingredients except peppercorns. Simmer, covered, for 3-6 hours.

Remove scum as it forms. Add more water to keep contents covered, if necessary.

Add peppercorns 15 minutes before the stock is complete.

Turkey

8 quarts cold, distilled water

1 turkey carcass, precooked is fine, meat removed (leave some crisp skin on if previously cooked!)

1 large onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 small heads of galic, cut in half

Create a sachet out of 4in. square peice of cheesecloth including the following items:

1 teaspoon black, cracked peppercorns
6-8 parsley stems, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves, tarragon leaves, basil leaves and oregano leaves (each)

Break turkey carcass up in parts and chop larger bones in half. Add to stockpot, cover with water and bring to a simmer. Skim off scum that will rise. Let simmer for 2 hours.

Add all above ingredients, simmer for 1 hour.

Let cool, then refrigerate.

Venison

5 lbs Bones

2lb Meat, chopped into small cubes

2 medium onions, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

5 celery stalks, chopped

1 cup apple juice

1.5 gallons distilled water

1tsp thyme

2 bay leaves

1/2 c tomato paste

Brown the bones and meat for 40 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Add veggies and brown another 15 minutes.

Discard meat, bones and veggies into a stockpot. Discard fat. Add apple juice and over medium heat, bring to a boil to remove coagulated juices.

Add remaining ingredients and water to stockpot. Make sure water covers contents. Add more if necessary.

Bring to a boil, skim, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6 hours. Remove cover and simmer another 4 hours, or until reduced to 1 gallon of liquid.

Remove from heat, strain, and set aside to cool (uncovered). Use, refrigerate or freeze.

Vegetable Stock

2 large onions

2 carrots

3 stalks of celery

1 full head of garlic

10 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

Chop the onions, carrots and celery. Remove bitter leaves of celery if desired. Separate the whole head of garlic into individual cloves and remove the skins (they do not need to be minced, whole is fine).

Quickly bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for one hour. Strain, cool.

You can also add parsley, thyme, basil, rosemary. Potato skins can be used as a starch and will thicken the broth slightly. Other vegetable scraps can be added for additional flavors.