Oakville Ontario News, Articles and Reviews

Tweet

With the winter chill still amongst us we often find ourselves craving stews, soups and homey dishes with rich sauces.  Stocks and sauces are often the first skill culinary students learn to master because they are the starting point for so many great dishes.  A stock is a strained, clear liquid, made from cooking the bones of meat, chicken or fish and seasonings.  Vegetable stock is made from cooking vegetables, liquid and seasonings together.   Stock can be kept covered in the refrigerator for 4 days or freeze in containers for up to 3 months. 

Although you may not do it all the time, learning to make homemade stock is a useful skill to have as it allows you to add healthy flavour to your cooking and control the fat and salt content of your dishes.  The more you use it the more you will see the difference it makes in your cooking. 

The main ingredients of stocks are:

1. Bones – most of the flavour and body is derived from bones.  The kinds of bones used determine the kind of stock. (Chicken stock, brown stock from beef and veal, fish stock.)  The cartilage of the bones contain gelatin which is what thickens a stock.  Younger animals have a lot of cartilage which is why veal bones are often used.

2. Mirepoix – Is a combination of diced onions, carrots and celery (ratio of 2:1:1).  The ingredients of the mirepoix should be all cut the same size and the size is determined by the cooking time for each stock in order to release flavours in the appropriate amount of time.  (Ex. A larger cut is used for beef stock which cooks for 6-8 hours.  A smaller cut is used for fish stock which cooks in 30 minutes.)

3. Acid Products: These help to dissolve the cartilage.  Tomato paste is used for dark stocks and white wine is used for white or fish stocks.

4. Seasonings & Spices – salt is usually not added when making stock.  Often the stock is reduced which would then give a too high a concentration of salt.  Herbs and spices are used lightly so as not to dominate the flavour.  They are usually tied in a cheesecloth, called a sachet and the string is tied to the handle of the stock pot for easy removal.

How To Use Stock

• Soup:  
  • Homemade stock is the difference between a good soup and a great soup.  Once you know the fundamentals of soup-making you will be able to prepare hearty, inspired meals with just a few fresh ingredients and whatever is at hand in the fridge or pantry.
• Sauces, Reductions and Glazes:
  • Stocks are often the basis of many sauces.  Savory sauces that use homemade stock can transform your cooking to another level by adding a depth of flavour often only found in restaurant dishes.
• Liquid Based Recipes:
  • Many recipes call for stock such as risotto, braised dishes, stews, gravy and many main dish recipes.
• Flavour Boosters:
  • Freeze your stock in ice cube trays or small containers and they will be ready to use when you need to add a small amount of flavoured liquid to a dish.

• Stocks are concentrated by simmering them to evaporate part of the water.  This is called reducing or making a reduction.  A reduced stock has more body because the gelatin is concentrated.  You can use a reduction as a rich sauce for your finished meat recipes.
• A glaze is a stock that is reduced until it coats the back of a spoon.  It is solid and rubbery when chilled.  Glazes are used in sauce making and some meat and fish preparations.  Only small amounts are needed because they are so concentrated.  Glazes can be used as a certain finish for your dinner party meal or as flavour boosters for savory dishes.

• You can substitute stock for water in most recipes for a more intense flavour.  Just remember to match your stocks to the recipe.  Example chicken stock for chicken or light dishes.  Fish or vegetable stock for fish dishes, and beef or veal stock for heartier dishes.

• Use stock instead of water in most recipes for an additional flavour boost.
• You can save fat and calories by using stock for sautéing instead of oil or fats.

Basic Vegetable Stock

Makes 2 Litres
Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil
• 2 onions, quartered
• 1 large Leek, white and light party only, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
• 4 carrots, scraped and cut into chunks
• 2 parsnips, scraped and cut into chunks
• 1 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 cups (2.5L) cold water

1. In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions, leek, celery, carrots, parsnips and mushrooms; sauté vegetables for 10 minutes, or until softened but not browned
2. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 45 minutes.  Remove from heat and strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a large bowl and gently press the solids with a spoon to extract the liquid.
3. Allow to cool uncovered to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate.  Use within 4 day or freeze in containers for later use.

Basic White Stock

Makes 2 Litres
Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg bones
• 3L cold water
• Mirepoix – 125g chopped onion, 60g chopped carrot, 60g chopped celery
• Sachet – 1 bay leaf, pinch thyme, peppercorns, parsley stems

1. Cut large bones in pieces (veal and beef).  Fish and chicken bones do not need to be cut.
2. Rinse the bones in cold water which removes impurities that may cloud the stock.
3. Place the bones in a stockpot and add cold water to cover.  Starting in cold water speeds the extraction.
4. Bring water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Skim the scum that comes to the surface which will help to keep the stock clear.
5. Add the chopped mirepoix and herbs and spices.
6. Do not boil stock, keep at a low simmer.
7. Skim the surface as often as necessary during cooking.
8. Keep the water level above the bones, adding more water if the level goes below the bones.  Bones above the water will go dark and discolour the stock.
9. Simmer for recommended length of time:
10. Skim the surface and strain stock through a sieve with layers of cheese cloth.
11. Cool stock as quickly as possible.

• Beef and veal  6-8 hours
• Chicken 3-4 hours
• Fish 30-45 minutes

[Image: Flickr user BongoWife]

Tags: recipes