Stocks

I like to make big pots of stocks and sauces so on the nights I work we have food on hand that will be healthy and nutritious for everybody’s food aversions. This week I’m telling yall about my love of stocks and how they can be transformed into amazing soups, sauces, and gravies. It started when I walked into the class in college, and I was taught how to make French onion soup. It was probably the most delicious soup I had ever had, and it all started with the simplest concentration of flavor. The fundamentals I learned in that class helped me with every job I’ve had since.

Making bone broth or stock is basically taking the mirepoix, roasted bones, herbs, and cold water. Mirepoix is French for the starting vegetables or aromatics. Honestly half the time all these phases mean the same thing, it’s the combination of flavors that start building blocks of the sauce or broth. It’s the two parts onions to one part celery and one-part carrots. I generally use the scrapes left from soup or peels and tops of peppers for vegetable stocks. All those mushroom tops that you don’t know what to do with are great additions if you want a little different flavor. This is a place you can really go wild if you have a picky family that you’re trying to get some extra nutrients. The bones are super important because the meat needs to have been cut off hopefully leaving a little behind to roast with. You can defiantly cook the meat in broth if you want; that’s the difference between broth and stock. Add tomato paste if you’re using beef bones, and if you’re making chicken stock deglaze your sheet pan with white wine. These are little tricks to add deeper flavors to the stock. Herbs in stock helps round out the flavor, and again this is another place where you can get creative. Traditionally parsley, thyme, rosemary, black peppercorns, and bay leaves are in all the different stocks so if you happen to like one over the others or happen to have some of them on hand go ahead and use whatever you got. The last and most important thing, cold water is the key. You want to add enough water to cover the ingredients and add enough for it to reduce by a third and still be just covered. The cold water ensures that everything comes up to temp at the same time. Once you have done that turn the burner on low and simmer for at least 6 hours and skim the scum or impurities off the top of to keep the liquid clear from cloudiness.

It’s a slow and sometimes tedious process, but it’s worth it when you can use them in so many ways. When you master this one try it will make every recipe better. It’s freezable and lasts in the refrigerator for like 3 weeks to a month. I love both making and using stocks and bone broths and I hope I helped debunk some myths today.

As always if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me through email or comment below. Be Blessed!!!